Prime Minister Han Seong-sook [Yonhap]
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook [Yonhap]

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook will announce plans Thursday to relocate central government agencies out of Seoul.

The Prime Minister's Office said Wednesday the government will hold a press conference Thursday morning at Government Complex Seoul on the relocation of administrative and public institutions and the reform of public institution functions.

Han and ministers from related ministries are expected to attend.

The government is expected to unveil the direction, targets and timeline for relocating central administrative agencies. Among those discussed as candidates are the Financial Services Commission, the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

However, the announcement is expected to focus on functional reform rather than specific relocation plans for public institutions — including the Financial Supervisory Service, which had drawn considerable attention.

Detailed relocation plans for public institutions are to be released sequentially at a later date. As the relocation of administrative agencies gains momentum, the push to move public institutions is also expected to accelerate.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is overseeing the relocation of public institutions to the regions, is gathering input from affected agencies under a principle of minimizing the number that remain in Seoul. Resistance from those institutions has been growing.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety has led work on relocating central administrative agencies, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport handles the relocation of public institutions.


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com