South Korea to move 350 state institutions from Seoul to Sejong by 2029

South Korea announced Thursday it will establish a presidential office in the administrative city of Sejong by August 2029 and relocate about 350 public institutions from the Seoul metropolitan area to reduce the capital's dominance. The moves will begin in 2027, with a new National Assembly building in Sejong targeted for completion by 2033. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said the strategy aims to counter population, capital, business, and infrastructure concentration in the capital region while other areas face demographic decline. The plan marks a second major relocation round after 43 central agencies moved to Sejong between 2012 and 2021. The government will also abolish or restructure 109 public institutions by merging overlapping functions, including unifying five state power producers and four port authorities.