Is the Relocation of Gyeonggi-do Public Institutions to the North Stalled?…Union Says "No Authority to Enforce Relocation"

Gyeonggi Province's relocation efforts of public institutions such as Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (GH) to promote balanced development in the northern region are entering a new phase. This is because the Gyeonggi Province Public Institutions Labor Union Federation has stated that Gyeonggi Province has no legal authority to forcibly relocate public institutions and has declared a strong response.

On the 11th, the Gyeonggi Province Public Institutions Labor Union Federation held a press conference and stated, "In the response submitted by former Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung to the court in 2021, it was said that ‘the Gyeonggi Governor does not have legal authority to forcibly relocate the main office of public institutions, and rather, the final decision depends on the choice of the respective public institution.’ However, Governor Kim Dong-yeon specifically announced relocation plans for several public institutions on September 11," they claimed.

They continued, "In the case of some institutions such as Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation, Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency, and Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, matters regarding the relocation of the main office are stipulated in their articles of incorporation and require approval from the central government (Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Health and Welfare, etc.). Gyeonggi Province is also aware of this and has clearly stated that it has no authority to intervene in such relocations," they emphasized.

Furthermore, they pointed out, "Regarding the Gyeonggi Market and Commercial Promotion Agency, which relocated to Yangpyeong, the majority of residents do not even know if the institution is located in Yangpyeong, and about 30 employees left the company due to the relocation. Work efficiency has significantly declined, and core functions of the institution have been seriously impaired, such as reducing training sessions from twice a day to once a day."

The exterior view of Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation, scheduled to relocate to Guri, Gyeonggi Province in 2026

The Public Institutions Labor Union Federation stated, "We do not believe Governor Kim Dong-yeon announced the relocation plan knowing he lacked the authority. We must identify who made this plan, who reported to the governor as if he had the authority, and who made the governor announce it as if he had the authority, and hold them accountable for causing this confusion," they added.

Earlier, on September 11, Governor Kim Dong-yeon promised at the ‘Gyeonggi Northern Great Transformation Project’ press conference, "The relocation of public institutions, which is a promise to northern residents, will be promoted swiftly as planned."

Currently, 15 public institutions are planned to be relocated within the province: Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation, Gyeonggi Environment and Energy Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Agricultural and Marine Products Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Market and Commercial Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Social Service Agency, Gyeonggi Women and Family Foundation, Gyeonggi Research Institute, Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation, Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation, Gyeonggi Job Foundation, Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, and Gyeonggi Lifelong Education Promotion Agency.

Among these, five institutions?Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation (Yangju), Gyeonggi Environment and Energy Promotion Agency (Gimpo), Gyeonggi Agricultural and Marine Products Promotion Agency (Gwangju), Gyeonggi Market and Commercial Promotion Agency (Yangpyeong), and Gyeonggi Social Service Agency (Yeoju)?completed their relocations last year.

The relocation plans for the remaining institutions are as follows: ▲2025: Gyeonggi Research Institute (Uijeongbu), Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency (Paju), Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation (Namyangju) ▲2026: Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Corporation (Guri) ▲2027: Gyeonggi Job Foundation (Dongducheon) ▲2028: Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation, Gyeonggi Lifelong Education Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation (Goyang).

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