Daejeon Raises Voices to Block Ministry of SMEs and Startups Relocation... Lee Nak-yeon Says "No Unilateral Relocation Will Be Enforced"

Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong (left) met with Representative Lee Nak-yeon (right) at the National Assembly on the 6th to request support for the withdrawal of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' relocation to Sejong and the retention of the ministry in Daejeon. Photo by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Voices opposing the relocation of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) to Sejong are growing louder in the Daejeon community. Adding to this, the ruling party leader's statement that there will be no "forced relocation of MSS" and the movement within the National Assembly to avoid setting a precedent for relocating central government agencies to non-capital regions seem to be strengthening the case for MSS to remain in Daejeon.

According to Daejeon City and others on the 12th, MSS officially announced its plan to relocate to Sejong last month. Since its upgrade from the Small and Medium Business Administration to the current MSS in 2017, the agency's scope has expanded, resulting in a shortage of office space. Additionally, with many other government ministries at the bureau level having already moved to Sejong, it is argued that relocating MSS to Sejong would facilitate smoother inter-ministerial coordination. Based on this rationale, MSS submitted a 'Letter of Intent to Relocate to Sejong' to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety last month.

However, the local community immediately reacted against MSS's push to relocate to Sejong. Locally, questions are raised about the logic and rationale MSS presents for the move. Given that the desired relocation site, Sejong, is adjacent to Daejeon, and that sufficient office space can be secured within Daejeon itself, some voices express skepticism, suggesting there might be other reasons behind the formal announcement of the relocation.

Opposition to MSS's relocation comes from various quarters including the city government, civic groups, and local political circles. Mayor Heo Tae-jung of Daejeon has personally been traveling between the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Assembly to rally support for MSS to remain in Daejeon. On the 11th, Mayor Heo attended the Supreme Council meeting held at the Goesan County Office in Chungbuk, conveying the local community's opposition to MSS's relocation to Sejong and urging the party to block the move.

Civic groups opposing MSS's relocation to Sejong are also actively mobilizing. Currently, over 20 organizations including the Daejeon Love Citizens' Council, Daejeon Economic Revival Citizens' Movement, and the Saemaul Undong movement are continuing collective actions such as rallies and protests. Furthermore, local political bodies like the Daejeon City Council have been issuing official statements to strengthen efforts to block the relocation.

Notably, recently, Cho Seung-rae, a member of the Democratic Party representing Daejeon Yuseong-gu Gap, introduced a bill titled the 'Partial Amendment to the Special Act on the Construction of Administrative Principal Cities in Yeongi and Gongju Areas for Follow-up Measures of the New Administrative Capital' (hereinafter referred to as the Amendment). The Amendment was proposed based on the fact that the current Administrative City Act only includes plans for relocating central administrative agencies but lacks separate provisions for agencies that have already moved to non-capital regions. This is interpreted as a move to effectively block MSS's relocation to Sejong.

Rep. Cho argued, "Since the Administrative City (Sejong City) was established to resolve the side effects of central administrative agencies being concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, and ministries like MSS have already relocated to non-capital regions, the original purpose of the related law has essentially been achieved. Therefore, relocating these agencies again to other areas such as Sejong is unnecessary."

Locally, attention is also drawn to the recent statement by party leader Lee Nak-yeon, who said in an official setting, "We will ensure that MSS does not forcibly relocate while ignoring the opinions of Daejeon citizens." The weight of the ruling party leader's words and the official nature of the statement are interpreted within the region as bolstering efforts to block MSS's relocation.

Lee's remarks were made at the Democratic Party Supreme Council meeting on the 11th. In his opening remarks, Lee said, "The decision on whether MSS relocates will be made carefully after listening to the opinions of Daejeon citizens," and added, "Above all, we will ensure that MSS does not unilaterally force the relocation while ignoring the opinions of Daejeon citizens." This amounts to a commitment by the ruling party leader to decide on the relocation only after hearing the voices of Daejeon residents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.