South Chungcheong Province Mounts All-Out Push for 'Priority Allocation' in Second Public-Institution Relocation ... Seeks Key Anchor Institutions

[Financial News, Hongseong = Kim Won-jun, reporter] South Chungcheong Province has launched an all-out public-private effort, urging the government to give the region priority in allocating institutions and to bring in key anchor institutions ahead of the finalization of the government's plan for the second relocation of public institutions from the capital region to other parts of the country.
South Chungcheong Province said it held the second 2026 meeting of the executive committee of the Pan-Provincial Committee for Attracting Public Institutions to Chungnam Innovation City on the 13th in a small conference room in the annex of the provincial government office, with executive committee members and relevant public officials in attendance. The meeting was arranged to review developments in the government’s relocation of public institutions and reaffirm the case for a province-wide effort to attract them, along with strategies to address the reverse discrimination against South Chungcheong Province in the first round of relocations.
The government plans to finalize its second plan for relocating administrative and public institutions to other parts of the country in the fourth quarter of this year and begin early relocations next year. It aims to speed up the process by, among other means, leasing private buildings rather than waiting for new offices to be built, as in the first round.
South Chungcheong Province is waging a tailored campaign to attract 50 public institutions selected across four specialized functional groups: climate, energy and environment; economy and industry; national defense; and culture, sports and tourism. Specifically, it is making an all-out effort to attract a consolidated headquarters for state-run power companies as part of a just energy transition following the closure of aging coal-fired power plants. It is also concentrating its administrative efforts on attracting defense-related institutions and the Second Central Police Academy, in connection with the defense industry infrastructure around Nonsan and Gyeryong.
The province is also moving quickly to secure office sites and temporary locations so institutions can relocate as soon as they are selected. This year, it has repeatedly asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to include a joint-leasing office project in its pilot program, while working closely with Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). It has also secured six plots within Chungnam Innovation City for public institutions to relocate to, totaling about 230,000 square meters, as well as 13 existing vacant retail buildings—about 61,000 square meters in total—that are ready for immediate occupancy. It has prepared a phased plan to accommodate institutions according to their size and needs.
Living conditions to support the stable settlement of employees relocating with their institutions are also being put in place quickly. As of the end of last October, the population of Chungnam Innovation City stood at 49,828, putting it close to the 50,000 mark. The province is stepping up efforts to expand key educational and cultural infrastructure, including a complex innovation center, Chungnam National University’s Naepo Campus, the Chungnam Museum of Art and the Seoul Arts Center. It is also undertaking further improvements to make Hongye Park, completed last September, a premier park.
Government support measures will also be expanded compared with the first round of relocations. Previously, relocating employees received a monthly relocation allowance of 200,000 won for two years, as well as moving expenses. The government plans to add a long-distance relocation allowance of up to 200,000 won per month for two years, depending on the distance moved, and pay employees who relocate early an early-relocation allowance of up to 500,000 won per month for two years.
At the end of the meeting, all attendees issued a joint resolution strongly urging the government to give the province priority consideration. They also unanimously called for the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute and the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses—both designated for early relocation and linked to local industries—to be allocated to South Chungcheong Province as a priority.
A South Chungcheong Province official emphasized, “South Chungcheong is the only region that was excluded from the first relocation of public institutions and has seen no actual relocation of institutions even since being designated an innovation city.” The official added, “Building on our prepared sites and living conditions, we will unite the efforts of people across the province and make sure we attract key public institutions.”

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter