Goyang City’s Entire Budget for Baekseok Annex Department Relocation Cut... Annual Rent of 1.3 Billion Won to Continue

Budget of 4 Billion Won Cut... Fourth Consecutive Failure After Main Budget

Annual 1.3 Billion Won Spent on Rent, Delay in Utilizing Idle Assets

"Project Stalled Despite Legal Issues Resolved... Will Continue to Persuade Council"

The 4 billion won budget for the "Baekseok Annex Department Relocation" project, promoted by Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan), was entirely cut during the first supplementary budget review for 2026.

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

The city expressed regret, stating that the budget cut could lead to continued financial burdens and administrative inefficiency, as annual expenditures of about 1.3 billion won for rent and maintenance costs related to the operation of external leased offices will persist for the time being.

Currently, due to a lack of space in the main city hall, the city is leasing eight private buildings, incurring related expenses every year. In response, the city planned to utilize its own Baekseok Office Building as an annex to consolidate externally leased departments, aiming to secure fiscal soundness and enhance administrative efficiency.

The city has allocated a budget for the department relocation project four times since last year, but each time, the budget was entirely cut during city council deliberations, making it difficult to move the project forward. As a result, the city continues to bear ongoing external rental costs, despite possessing assets that could be fully utilized.

According to the city, the original plan was to relocate about 25 departments, organized into 1 office, 5 bureaus, and approximately 500 staff members, to the Baekseok Annex. This initiative aimed to reduce inefficiencies caused by the dispersed operation of city offices and to establish a "one-stop administrative service" so that citizens would no longer have to travel between buildings for permit applications or welfare-related services.

A Goyang City official stated, "The department relocation project is a measure to efficiently utilize city assets and reduce repeated rental costs," adding, "It is a necessary project for improving fiscal efficiency and resolving asset utilization issues through the use of idle assets. We will communicate closely with the council to build consensus and establish a plan for project implementation."

Meanwhile, during the budget review process, the city had already confirmed the legality and legitimacy of the project through reviews of relevant laws and authoritative interpretations by central administrative agencies regarding procedural issues such as investment evaluations. However, repeated budget cuts have delayed significant improvements in administrative services that citizens can directly experience.

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