Concerns Mount Over Use of Relocated Government Agency Sites

As the government pursues the relocation of public institutions to regional areas, Suwon City and 12 public agencies targeted for relocation in the region have entered into intense negotiations to preempt plans for redeveloping these vacated sites.

Such developments are expected to materialize by the end of this year as Suwon City enters into formal consultations with the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and other public agencies.

According to the city, after the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs announced a plan in 2012 to relocate 12 public agencies including the Rural Development Administration to the Suwon region by 2020, the city reflected plans for utilizing the relocated agency sites in its Basic Urban Plan.

Once the 12 public agencies relocate, a total developable area of 3,231,583 square meters will be secured. This represents approximately one-fourth of the area of Gwanggyo New City (11,282,521 square meters), which Gyeonggi Province is developing as a premium new city.

Most of these public agencies are concentrated in western Suwon, with the exceptions of the National Institute of Agricultural Science and the National Seed Management Service located in Mangpo-dong. The city is developing plans to utilize these relocated sites for neighborhood parks, low-density residential complexes, and research and development zones that are lacking in western Suwon.

For the 906,946-square-meter area in Seodun-dong, where the Rural Development Administration and four affiliated public agencies are located, the city has proposed creating an agricultural theme park with added cultural and tourism accommodation functions. This is because the site sits along the city's green space axis connecting Chilbo Mountain, Yeogi Mountain, Sukji Mountain, Paldalsan Mountain (Hwaseong), Gwanggyo Mountain, and Woncheon Reservoir.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Horticultural Science in Tap-dong (453,894 square meters), the National Institute of Crop Science (289,338 square meters), and the National Institute of Animal Science in Omokcheon-dong (426,554 square meters) are planned to be preserved as low-density residential areas, neighborhood parks, or reserves for future urban expansion. The Government Tax Officials Training Institute in Pajang-dong (91,915 square meters) and the Regional Innovation Human Resources Development Institute (50,222 square meters) are planned to be utilized as educational training facilities or tourism accommodation facilities such as youth hostels, preserving their existing functions.

The city has already designated 79,000 square meters—including 30,000 square meters from the National Institute of Agricultural Science's silk-worm rearing facility in Mangpo-dong, 19,000 square meters from the National Institute of Horticultural Science, and 30,000 square meters from the National Institute of Animal Science—as neighborhood park sites, with plans to reflect this in the 2015 Urban Management Plan.

A city official stated, "Although these public agencies have expressed opposition, the city decided to first secure some necessary sites to ensure an adequate supply of parks in the area going forward."

However, whether the city can use the relocated sites according to its plans remains uncertain. This is because consultations with the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and the relocating agencies are still pending, and substantial compensation costs present a major obstacle.

In particular, while current law grants mayors and county commissioners authority to change land use purposes, the potential enactment of a Special Law on the Relocation of Public Institutions to Regional Areas, which would actively reflect the opinions of the Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, could serve as a significant variable.

The public agencies targeted for relocation are reportedly already conducting internal reviews on site utilization.

An official from one of the agencies targeted for relocation stated, "Most sites are classified as natural green areas, making it difficult to secure acquisition funds even if relocated to regional areas. If the government does not provide full financial support, there is no choice but to utilize the current sites according to circumstances."

Given that the planned relocation timeline is now four years away, the city expects consultations on redeveloping the vacated sites to begin in earnest from the end of this year, as evidenced by recent meetings with Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs officials.

An official from a civic organization in Suwon stated, "As relocating public agencies may indiscriminately change land use plans to residential complexes to secure relocation costs, leading to disorderly development, it would help consultations to conduct a preliminary review of land utilization plans."