Seoul – South Korea announced plans Thursday to put a second presidential office and legislative complex in the administrative city of Sejong, as it accelerates efforts to move hundreds of institutions out of Seoul in a bid to lessen the capital’s dominance. The nation has long struggled with a widening divide between regions, with about half its 51 million people concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area for jobs and education opportunities. The plan, which also includes relocating the gender equality ministry and prosecution service, is the latest in a decadelong push to move state bodies out of Seoul and promote balanced development.
Relocations began in 2012, when the prime minister’s office moved to Sejong, about 120 kilometers south of Seoul. Since then, 44 central government bodies — including the finance and health ministries — have relocated to the city. Officials said 350 public institutions based in the Seoul metropolitan area will have their relocation plans finalized in 2026.
The government aims to complete a second presidential office in Sejong by August 2029 and a second National Assembly building by 2033, Han said. The foreign and unification ministries could also be relocated once the presidential office and National Assembly complex are completed, according to Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung. The announcement follows plans by chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to invest 800 trillion South Korean won ($589 billion) in a chip hub in the country’s southwest, also aimed at reducing regional inequality.
Many regions face shrinking and aging populations, forcing schools and children’s clinics to close, as the country grapples with one of the world’s lowest birth rates. As of 2024, 130 of South Korea’s 228 cities, counties and districts — or 57% — were classified as being at risk of disappearing due to population decline, according to the government. The Seoul capital region accounts for just 12% of its land but 53% of national gross domestic product — and more than three-fifths of the country’s research and development investment, according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development data.
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