Prime Minister Han says relocation plan for Greater Seoul public institutions to be announced in Q4

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Thursday that the government will announce a relocation plan in the fourth quarter for more than 350 public institutions in the Greater Seoul area, with the aim of minimizing the number that remain, and will begin the actual moves in 2027.

Han made the remarks at a press conference that morning at Government Complex Seoul, where she outlined the government's plan for relocating administrative and public institutions and reforming their functions.

"As the president has also emphasized, we will avoid piecemeal, spread-the-spoils-style distribution and instead concentrate institutions around innovation cities, gathering the energy of regional growth like a bonfire to maximize the strength of regional hubs," she said.

Han acknowledged that "there will be no shortage of dissenting views and entrenched interests," but pledged to "listen carefully to a wide range of voices — including local governments and labor — and draw up a rational relocation plan that the majority can support. We will minimize social conflict."

She added that central government agencies currently in the Greater Seoul area will be relocated to Sejong Special Self-Governing City starting in the first half of 2027, with priority given to agencies whose moves would have the greatest scale and ripple effects.

"Sejong is the symbol and central pillar of balanced national development," Han said, pledging to complete a presidential office in Sejong by August 2029, keep construction of a National Assembly annex in Sejong on track for completion in 2033, and "finish building the administrative capital into a true center of national governance."

Han also said the government will "boldly reform the functions of public institutions to respond to a rapidly changing policy environment," announcing plans to reduce the total number of public institutions by 109 — the largest reduction ever — through strategic structural reform to strengthen global competitiveness, consolidation of overlapping and duplicative functions, and mergers of smaller agencies.

She said each ministry will draw up a functional reform roadmap and implementation procedures, and that institutions not requiring legislative amendments will begin implementation immediately. She added that the government will guarantee employment continuity for affected staff and explore a range of support measures, including benefits and incentives.

"The tasks reported today will be pursued swiftly and effectively," Han said. "We will consolidate pan-government capacity to implement these policies, and we also ask for the National Assembly's full support."