'Ghost Office' Sejong Customs Office, Ministry of Employment and Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters Moves In

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters of the Ministry of Employment and Labor will move into the Customs Valuation and Classification Service building in Sejong City, which caused controversy for constructing an official residence despite not being a relocated agency, early next month.

On the 30th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters will use the government office building in Ban-gok-dong, Sejong City (the former Customs Valuation and Classification Service building). The Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters plans to move into the building sequentially starting early next month and begin operations from July 12. This headquarters is a newly established organization through a reorganization aimed at strengthening on-site safety and health management, preparing for health issues such as overwork deaths, enhancing accident response at construction sites, and expanding industrial accident prevention support projects in preparation for the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in January next year.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance had previously conducted a demand survey for central government agencies and national institutions renting offices within Sejong City, and considering the urgent need for the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters to move in, approved this use after consultations with the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Additionally, to increase the utilization of the building, the ‘Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Review Committee,’ which is highly related to the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters’ work and currently renting a private building in Sejong City, is also planned to relocate before the end of July. As a result, it is expected that an annual rental budget of approximately 210 million KRW can be saved.

Meanwhile, the Customs Valuation and Classification Service, despite not being a relocated agency to Sejong City, constructed a government office building in Sejong City with budget support from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and caused controversy as 49 employees received special apartment allocations.

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