Comprehensive Reconsideration of Government Agency Relocation Policy Needed

Seven local governments in the Gyeonggi South region, including Suwon, have proposed that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gyeonggi Province conduct a comprehensive reconsideration of the government's relocation policy (reduction and closure) for 20 public institutions, including the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service.

At the first meeting of the Gyeonggi South Area Mayors' Council held on the 3rd, member local governments adopted a proposal from Suwon on "reconsidering the policy on public agency relocation."

According to the proposal addressed to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Governor of Gyeonggi Province, the local governments in the southern region stated, "The public agency relocation policy is a wrongly initiated policy," and proposed that "we request a comprehensive reconsideration of the public agency relocation policy."

Additionally, they emphasized that if the relocation of public agencies to provincial areas is inevitable, the policy should be modified to minimize the impact on economic development in the Gyeonggi South region.

Furthermore, the council proposed that relocated sites of public institutions should not be used for facilities that induce population inflow such as apartments or mixed-use residential-commercial buildings, and utilization plans suited to each region's urban development plan should be presented that either provide needed public facilities or create added value.

The Gyeonggi South Area Mayors' Council stated clearly that "the decision-making authority regarding the utilization of relocated public institution sites should be the residents of the relevant local governments," and that "the utilization plans for relocated sites should be determined with local opinions and sentiments reflected as much as possible."

Currently, there are 20 public institutions scheduled for relocation in the Gyeonggi South region: 11 institutions in Suwon including the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service, 6 institutions in Yongin including Korea Electric Power Technology Co., Ltd., the Korea Agricultural University in Hwaseong, and 2 institutions in Uiwang including Korea Agricultural Corporation.

The total area of the sites of these 20 institutions is 5,471,649 square meters, with approximately 7,200 employees.

An official from Suwon said, "While the Gyeonggi South region has played a key role in regional and national development under adverse conditions of various capital region regulations, we intend to propose to the central government and Gyeonggi Province through this proposal that the public agency relocation policy being carried out under the guise of balanced national development is unjust."