Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries launches site search for new Busan headquarters

South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has launched a public competition to select a site for its new permanent headquarters in Busan, with plans to finalize the location by August and complete construction by 2030.

The ministry announced Wednesday that it would open the site competition to Busan's basic local governments — the city's constituent districts and counties.

The ministry has been operating out of two leased private buildings in Busan since late December, when it completed its relocation from Seoul. The new headquarters project is tied to the government's Arctic shipping route strategy and is intended to support the development of a "southern maritime capital zone" centered on Busan.

The ministry notified Busan's district governments of the competition plan Wednesday and will accept candidate site proposals from July 29 to 31.

Eligible sites must be at least 10,000 square meters in area and capable of accommodating a building with a total floor area of at least 50,000 square meters. Each local government may submit one candidate site.

The ministry will evaluate submissions through a site-selection review committee composed of specialists in real estate, urban planning and architecture. Assessment criteria include land availability, usability, connectivity to the southern maritime capital development plan, and transportation access.

The final site will be chosen in early August.

Once the site is confirmed, the ministry plans to finalize the building's scale and secure design funding this year, then proceed through design and construction to complete the new headquarters by 2030.

The ministry expects the completed building to reinforce the symbolic significance of its Busan relocation while serving as a hub for the government's broader maritime strategy, including the development of Arctic shipping routes and the cultivation of Busan as a center for maritime logistics.

"Building the new headquarters is highly meaningful in that it will establish a key base for the southern maritime capital that will lead the era of Arctic shipping routes," said Hwang Seong-o, head of the ministry's operations support division. "We will push ahead with the construction process without disruption after the site is selected."