44 government agencies to relocate to Sejong by 2031

Sejong is a central administrative city about 110 kilometers south of Seoul. When a government agency relocates there, its official offices and public servants move from Seoul to Sejong. The change shifts national administrative work away from the capital area.

The relocation will happen in stages. Some agencies will use temporarily rented offices, while others need specially designed spaces for investigation, security or oversight. The first moves are scheduled for 2027, with the full plan continuing through 2031.

This matters because the government describes the move as a strategy to reduce Seoul-centered administration. It also aims to use national land more efficiently and promote balanced development. The plan affects 44 agencies and the workplaces of 9,929 public servants. Separate Sejong offices for the president and the National Assembly are due in 2029 and 2033.

The plan includes the ministries of foreign affairs, unification and national defense. Other major bodies include the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Prosecution Service, the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, the National Police Agency and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.

The first phase begins in 2027. Six agencies, including the Korea Media and Communications Commission and the Personal Information Protection Commission, will move during the first half. Nineteen more, including the Financial Services Commission and ministry-affiliated organizations, will follow in the second half. The justice and gender equality ministries are also expected to start next year if the law is revised.

The remaining 17 agencies will move in stages by 2031. They need private facilities that will become available after a new government building is completed. This schedule means agencies will not all move at once. Their timing depends on operational needs and office space.

The relocation plan covers 44 ministries and agencies. It affects the workplaces of 9,929 public servants. Rather than moving everyone together, the government will phase the process according to each agency’s needs and available office space.

Twenty-seven agencies will begin moving to temporarily rented offices in 2027. Six are scheduled for the first half, while 19 are scheduled for the second half. The justice and gender equality ministries are also expected to begin moving next year, subject to a legal revision. The remaining 17 agencies need a new government building.

The planned movement begins next year and continues through 2031, creating a roughly five-year relocation period. This staged approach allows agencies with immediate office options to move earlier. Agencies needing secure or specialized private areas must wait. The government also plans measures for staff housing, relocation and commuting.

The government describes relocation as a national strategy to overcome a capital area-centered system. Seoul has concentrated many national functions, and officials want administration to be less dependent on one city. The policy is also linked to balanced national development.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said the move could help use the country’s land efficiently and support sustainable growth. The government has carried out relocations for more than a decade as part of efforts to ease the concentration of national functions in Seoul. Sejong was created as the central administrative city for this purpose.

The plan therefore extends an existing policy rather than starting a new one. The government expects agencies and public servants to work from Sejong in stages. It also says it will support staff living arrangements, relocation and commuting. Separate offices for the president and National Assembly are planned, reinforcing Sejong’s administrative role.

Agencies have different workplace requirements, so the government is using two relocation routes. Twenty-seven ministries and agencies can begin moving to temporarily rented offices in Sejong next year. This provides usable space before all planned government facilities are ready.

The other 17 agencies cannot simply use ordinary temporary offices. They need private spaces for investigation, security or oversight purposes. Their move will happen after construction of a new government building in Sejong. These agencies include the prosecution and police bodies, audit officials and the three ministries handling foreign affairs, unification and national defense.

This difference explains why the relocation will be phased through 2031. Office availability controls the schedule, alongside each agency’s operational requirements. Agencies with fewer special facility needs can move earlier. Agencies needing secure or private environments must wait for suitable permanent facilities instead of moving into rented space.

Government relocation to Sejong began in 2012. The prime minister’s office was the first central government agency to move there. Successive administrations continued the policy for more than a decade, aiming to reduce the concentration of national functions in Seoul and promote balanced development.

According to the National Agency for Administrative City Construction, 44 central government organizations have already completed relocation to Sejong. The new announcement adds a phased plan covering 44 ministries and agencies. It includes temporary moves beginning in 2027 and later moves requiring a new government building.

The process is therefore an expansion of an established administrative shift. It is not a single event, because agencies have different space and operational needs. The latest phase includes the foreign, unification and defense ministries, with relocations scheduled to continue through 2031. Presidential and National Assembly offices are planned for 2029 and 2033.

Moving national functions beyond Seoul could make administration less concentrated in the capital area. The government presents this as a way to promote balanced national development, use land efficiently and support sustainable growth. Sejong would become a larger center for central government work.

The plan shows how these changes may affect daily life. The workplaces of 9,929 public servants will move in stages, and agencies will operate from temporary or permanent offices. Because staff must adjust their living arrangements and travel, the government says it will develop support for relocation and commuting.

The longer-term effect depends on how fully the planned moves are completed. The foreign, unification and defense ministries are due to relocate by 2031. Presidential offices are scheduled for 2029, while National Assembly offices are due in 2033. Together, these projects could further spread national government functions beyond Seoul, consistent with the stated development goal.