Joo Ho-young opposes plan to relocate Defense, Foreign ministries to Sejong

People Power Party lawmaker Joo Ho-young on Thursday declared his firm opposition to the government's plan to relocate the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Sejong, calling it "not merely a matter of distributing administrative functions, but a dangerous idea that undermines constitutional legitimacy and fundamentally shakes diplomatic capacity and national security posture."

Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly, Joo said the Constitutional Court's 2005 decision to dismiss a constitutional petition against the construction of the administrative capital complex was primarily based on the judgment that Seoul retained its substantive capital functions as the political and administrative hub and the center of foreign relations. "If the core state functions of diplomacy and defense are removed, how can Seoul maintain its symbolic status and standing as South Korea's capital in the eyes of the world?" he said.

Joo also raised concerns about wartime command. "In South Korea — a divided nation still under a truce — immediate communication and decision-making among the war leadership, including the commander in chief, Defense Ministry officials and Joint Chiefs of Staff, can determine the fate of the nation in an emergency," he said. "Has anyone thoroughly examined what impact dispersing the war leadership would have on the cohesion of the command structure and the air defense and security posture of the greater Seoul area?"

He warned that relocating the Defense Ministry without a thorough security plan "could be seen as abandoning the defense of the capital," and called on the government to first present the public with evidence that "not a single error will occur in the chain of command in the event of a crisis."

Joo also pointed to the diplomatic complications of moving the Foreign Ministry, noting that 118 embassies are currently based in Seoul. "If the Foreign Ministry relocates, each country's embassy will either have to bear the cost of moving or accept diplomatic inefficiency by shuttling between Seoul and Sejong," he said. "Relocating an embassy requires not only the approval and budget of the country concerned, but also the securing of a chancery, a residence and security facilities."

Joo questioned whether the government had held any serious prior consultations with the diplomatic community in Seoul, and asked what solutions existed for the severing of diplomatic channels and delays in responding to urgent issues if embassies remained in Seoul. "The government must immediately halt its push to relocate the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry," he said. "The nation's diplomatic and security architecture and the essential functions of the capital are not something the government can unilaterally change through political judgment."