Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho meets with heads of public institutions in Sinseohyeok Innovation City on Tuesday. [Daegu City]
Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho meets with heads of public institutions in Sinseohyeok Innovation City on Tuesday. [Daegu City]

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho held his first meeting with heads of public institutions at Sinseohyeok Innovation City on Tuesday since taking office in the ninth directly elected term, discussing ways to attract public institutions slated for a second round of government-led relocations out of Greater Seoul.

The meeting brought together Choo and the heads or deputy heads of nine public institutions: Park Chang-dal of the Korea Student Aid Foundation, Hong Eui-rak of Korea Gas Corporation, Kang Seung-jun of the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, Kim Hyeong-cheol of the National Information Society Agency, Lee Yong-pil of the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology, Lee Sang-hun of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, Lee Ha-un of the Korea Private School Promotion Foundation, Yoo Eun-cheol of the Korea Real Estate Board and Seo Jong-won of the Korea Education and Research Information Service.

The government has begun identifying public institutions currently based in Greater Seoul that could be relocated to the regions, excluding those deemed necessary to remain in the capital, sources said.

Once a pool of candidates is established, the government will set principles for regional placement. Balanced national growth will serve as the overarching guideline, but the capacity of existing innovation cities, transportation networks and residential conditions will also shape location decisions. Regional equity and policy effectiveness are expected to be key points of contention.

When the government's plan is released in the second half of this year, local governments are expected to launch full-scale campaigns to attract institutions. If relocations are confirmed, leading institutions are under discussion to begin phased moves from 2027.

At the meeting, Choo thanked the institutions for their contributions to the local community — including providing quality jobs for young residents and giving purchasing priority to locally produced goods — and called for cooperation in strategically attracting second-round relocations that can develop in tandem with institutions already moved in the first round.

Daegu city said it would also actively work to improve living conditions in the innovation city, including transportation, cultural and leisure amenities, in response to requests from public institution employees.

"We will pool our efforts to boost the local economy, support small and medium-sized enterprises and successfully attract second-round public institutions, building a foundation for Daegu's future growth and creating a better tomorrow where those results translate into a better life for our citizens," Choo said.


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