Goyang City Pursuing Relocation of Some Departments to Vacant Baekseok Office Building

Goyang City Spends 1.3 Billion Won Annually on Rent
Minimizing Budget Waste by Utilizing Vacant Buildings
Investment Review Requested from Gyeonggi Province Through Legitimate Procedures
"Reflecting City Council's Comments... No Violation of Administrative Procedures"

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) announced on August 4 that, in accordance with a resolution by the city council, it requested an investment review from Gyeonggi Province on July 14 to make reasonable use of the Baekseok Office Building, which has been vacant for several years.

A view of Goyang Special City Hall. Provided by Goyang Special City.

The city emphasized, "This measure is a legitimate procedure to implement the public property management plan originally approved by the Goyang City Council in 2018, and it is an unavoidable decision to use public assets for their designated purposes and to save taxpayers' money."

The investment review request to Gyeonggi Province includes plans for structural reinforcement and increased electrical capacity necessary to utilize the Baekseok Office Building for public purposes such as a venture town and public offices. Through this, the city is pursuing both efficient use of public assets and alleviation of financial burdens.

Goyang Special City stated, "Currently, due to the aging and limited space of the main city hall, most departments are renting space in eight private buildings, resulting in approximately 1.3 billion won in annual rent and management costs. By relocating the dispersed departments to the vacant Baekseok Office Building, we aim to maximize administrative efficiency and budget savings."

Additionally, the city added, "In the damages lawsuit related to the delayed donation of the Yojin Office Building, the fact that the Baekseok Office Building has not been utilized for a long period led to a reduction of about 20 billion won in the damages amount claimed by Goyang City. Leaving usable assets idle for an extended period is neither administratively nor financially desirable."

Meanwhile, on June 23, the Goyang City Council requested a review of procedures such as investment review when establishing the budget for department relocation to the Baekseok Office Building in the 'Administrative Affairs Investigation Report on the Relocation of Goyang City Hall and Departments to the Baekseok-dong Office Building' adopted by the council.

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