Overseas Koreans Agency to move to Sejong as 44 capital-area agencies relocate; Incheon pushes back
First seen · Oct 17, 4:04 AM (Seoul) · Last updated · Oct 17, 4:04 AM (Seoul)
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s second plan to move central government bodies to Sejong includes 44 agencies in the Seoul metropolitan area, among them the Overseas Koreans Agency. Opposition is growing in Incheon after the agency, which opened in Songdo in 2023, was listed for priority relocation in the first half of 2027.
What happened
The second relocation plan announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Oct. 13 covers 44 capital-area bodies with a combined staff quota of 9,929 civil servants. Six agencies — the Overseas Koreans Agency, the Korea Media and Communications Commission, the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the National Human Rights Commission and the National Education Commission — will move in the first half of 2027, followed by 19 including the Financial Services Commission in the second half. The remaining 17 will move after new offices are built by 2031.
Why it's trending
The plan drew particular attention in Incheon because the Overseas Koreans Agency opened in Songdo only in June 2023 and will move after about four years. The government said the move is meant to strengthen Sejong-centered governance and promote balanced national development.
Reactions
Lee Jae-ho, head of Yeonsu District where the agency is located, called on the government on Oct. 14 to withdraw the plan. An Incheon Ilbo editorial noted that even an agency official said “nothing has been agreed” and that overseas Korean groups said they were not consulted. The agency, however, said the plan had been discussed at a Cabinet meeting.
What to watch
The plan is still at the announcement stage, and the agency intends to move in the first half of 2027 using leased private office space in Sejong. All eyes are on how Incheon’s ruling and opposition politicians and Mayor Park Chan-dae respond.