74 Government Agencies Will Relocate to New Administrative Capital

A total of 74 central government agencies have decided provisionally to relocate to the new administrative capital where the final location is decided in August.

The presidential commission for the capital relocation project has temporarily selected 74 out of 131 administrative agencies and other affiliated organizations to be moved, and the final decision will be made through public hearings, it said on May 23.

Virtually all central government ministries and other state-related organizations are to be relocated to the new administrative capital. Among the organizations that have been excluded are the Central Land Administration Commission and Civil Aviation Safety Authority of the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, and the National Cemetery for the April 19 revolution of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

The relocation of five other state-related organizations such as the Korea Agency for Technology and Standards will be decided through a discussion with those organizations. It will also be determined late this year if the National Assembly and the Supreme Court will be moved to the new capital as the decision needs the approval of the Assembly.

Under “the Construction of the New Administrative Capital plan,” public hearings on the issue will be held on June 21 in Seoul and on June 23 in Taejon before a final decision is made and the results are submitted to the president in early July.

The blueprint for relocation of government agencies to the new capital would include size, image and financing plans. Also, commission official Lee Chun-hee said that the outline of the new capital would be revealed at the end of the June and public opinions would be fully accepted in confirming the relocation of agencies and the basic construction plan.

In-Jik Cho cij1999@donga.com