Chungnam Province "Secures Food Safety Management Certification Institute... Relocation to Gongju in 2027"

The Korea Food Safety Management Certification Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Certification Institute) will relocate to Gongju, Chungnam Province by 2027.

On the 19th, Chungnam Province announced that Governor Kim Tae-heum of Chungnam, Han Sang-bae, Director of the Certification Institute, and Choi Won-cheol, Mayor of Gongju, met and signed a business agreement for the relocation of the Certification Institute headquarters to Gongju, Chungnam.

According to the agreement, Chungnam Province will strive to secure national funding for the relocation of the office building and will cooperate with architectural consultations and administrative procedures.

The Certification Institute will jointly respond with Chungnam Province to secure national funding and will contribute to the development of Chungnam and Gongju after the headquarters relocation.

Additionally, Gongju City will support the relocation project by providing the site for the office building, handling architectural administrative procedures, and making efforts to secure national funding.

The Certification Institute is a public institution under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, currently headquartered in Osong, Chungbuk. A total of 263 employees (118 at the headquarters) work at the headquarters, six branch offices, and two field offices.

The main tasks include ▲ Food and livestock product safety management certification (HACCP) ▲ Designation of hygiene grades for food establishments ▲ Strengthening safety management of imported and exported foods ▲ Training of technical support professionals and support for education of food workers.

Chungnam Province identified the trend that the lease period for the Certification Institute’s Osong office expires at the end of 2027 and that there is a need to expand educational infrastructure such as laboratories and parking lots, and has been promoting the attraction since July, achieving results.

The new office building is planned to be constructed in Donghyeon-dong, Gongju City, with office, education, and laboratory buildings, covering a total floor area of 9,900 square meters. The construction budget is expected to be 33.8 billion KRW.

Chungnam Province expects that once the Certification Institute headquarters completes its relocation to Gongju and begins full-scale operations, approximately 20,000 food industry workers will visit Gongju annually.

In particular, visitors coming to Gongju for educational purposes are expected to stay in the area for up to three days, which will boost sales in the lodging and restaurant industries.

The production inducement effect expected from the new office building construction is 46 billion KRW, and the induced added value is 19.8 billion KRW, according to Chungnam Province.

Governor Kim Tae-heum of Chungnam said, “Gongju is easily accessible from anywhere in the country and has abundant infrastructure in transportation, tourism, administration, and education, making it an ideal location for educational institutions such as the Certification Institute to settle.” He added, “Chungnam Province will make every effort to secure national funding in cooperation with local lawmakers for the swift relocation of the Certification Institute.”

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