Bae Jun-yeong: 'Relocating OKA to Sejong is plundering Incheon'… Urges halt to public institution consolidation

2026.10.14. The Fair Economy — Bae Jun-yeong, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly Committee on Fiscal Economy and Planning, criticized the OKA's relocation to Sejong and the consolidation of Incheon public institutions as "plunder" and demanded that the government immediately halt them on the 14th.

At a press conference held at the Incheon City Hall briefing room that day, Rep. Bae characterized the issues as "emptying out Incheon."

Although the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's relocation of central government agencies and the Public Agency Operation Committee of the Ministry of Finance and Economy's merger of public agencies involve different lead ministries and procedures, he criticized them as consecutive measures targeting Incheon, noting that only one month separated the two announcements.

He argued that, from the perspective of regional balanced development, there is a problem with the government's relocation of agencies. Using the Korea Land & Housing Corporation in Jinju, the Korea Expressway Corporation in Gimcheon, and Korea Electric Power Corporation in Naju as examples, he questioned why, if the purpose of relocation is balanced development, Incheon, as a local government, is the only place from which all agencies are being removed.

He urged the government to immediately halt the agency relocations and consolidation, and called for a joint response from the Incheon mayor, Incheon lawmakers, and heads of basic local governments. He also pledged to block the measures as the opposition party's floor whip.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 13th that it would relocate 44 central administrative agencies in the Seoul metropolitan area (with a total staff of 9,929) to Sejong. The Overseas Koreans Agency (157 staff), which was launched in Songdo in June 2023, was included among the six agencies to be moved first to a leased building in the first half of next year. The government's public institution functional reform plan announced on September 3 will reduce the number of institutions by 109.

Among the agencies located in Incheon, those with confirmed names include the Incheon Port Authority (four port authorities to be merged into the Korea Port Authority, with existing agencies reorganized as regional branches), the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (to be merged into the Korea Transportation Safety Authority), the KICTE (to be reorganized as the Korea Construction Industry Promotion Institute), and the Incheon National Maritime Museum (to be merged with the National Maritime Museum of Korea and the Korea National Ocean Science Museum to form the Korea Maritime Culture Promotion Institute).