Following announcement of the Ministry of National Defense’s move to Sejong, Chungnam steps up its bid to attract KIDA

[The Financial News, Hongseong = Reporter Kim Won-jun] South Chungcheong Province (Chungnam) is pulling out all the stops to attract the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), following the government’s announcement of plans to move the Ministry of National Defense to Sejong City.
 According to Chungnam on the 27th, KIDA, located in Seoul’s Dongdaemun District, is a government-funded research institute that conducts research on the security environment and defense policy, selects weapon systems, and advises on defense industry policy. It has key units including the Future Strategy Office and the Defense Artificial Intelligence Policy Research Office, and around 480 research and administrative personnel were based there as of the beginning of this year.
 KIDA has until now maintained that it should remain in the Seoul Capital Area, citing its geographic proximity to the Ministry of National Defense. But the situation changed dramatically when the ministry was included in the recently announced plan to relocate central government agencies to Sejong. In addition, the relocation of KIDA has become unavoidable after its Seoul headquarters site was included in the government’s housing supply plan.
 The plan is part of the “Second Relocation of Central Government Agencies” announced recently by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The government plans to move 44 institutions based in the Seoul Capital Area, with a total of 9,929 civil servants based on authorized staffing levels, to Sejong City. Institutions that need their own headquarters buildings, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification (MOU) and the Ministry of National Defense, will move in stages by 2031, after new buildings are constructed. However, these ministries are excluded from relocation under the current Special Act on the Construction of Administrative City, so the law must be amended first. The government submitted a related amendment bill early this month and aims to pass it during the current regular session of the National Assembly.
 Chungnam considers Nonsan and Gyeryong the best locations for KIDA’s relocation. Gyeryong is home to Gyeryongdae, where the Army, Navy and Air Force headquarters are located, while Nonsan is home to the Korea National Defense University, the Korea Army Training Center and the Army Aviation School, among other institutions. With the Chungnam National Defense Industrial Complex, scheduled for completion in 2029, the Nonsan-Gyeryong area will have a complete defense ecosystem spanning policy research, education, policy demand, demonstration and production. Chungnam says this will enable research to respond immediately to needs on the ground and foster links with industry.
 Chungnam has already made all necessary preparations, securing a leased building where KIDA can move in immediately as well as a site for its relocation. Building on the case for locating KIDA there, which it has steadily developed through ordinances, the operation of a special committee and policy forums, the province plans to step up its appeals to the National Assembly and central government and further strengthen coordination with the cities of Nonsan and Gyeryong.
 A Chungnam provincial official said, “The decision to move the Ministry of National Defense to Sejong is a turning point that makes us view KIDA’s location from a completely new perspective,” adding, “We will put forward a distinctive case for attracting it, drawing on Nonsan and Gyeryong’s strong defense infrastructure, and deliver tangible results.”

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter