[Gwan-ga in] Despite Lee Administration's Emphasis on 'Digital Administration'... Sejong Complex Access Badges Issued Up 76% in Three Years

Despite Rise in Remote Communication Like Video Conferences

"Detailed Issues Are Ultimately Decided Face-to-Face"

On the morning of the 18th, the civil service building at the Government Sejong Complex was bustling with visitors seeking to obtain entry passes. An employee from a public company who had come from Ulsan said, "I needed to discuss issues related to our projects for the second half of the year with the ministry." He added, "While the general direction can be shared online, the detailed issues always require face-to-face meetings to reach a conclusion." The comprehensive information desk at the Government Sejong Complex was also busy with a constant flow of visitors. A representative from a regional environmental office, who was organizing meeting materials in one corner of the lobby, said, "I came to meet with a ministry official regarding emissions regulations," continuing, "I will have to return to my office in the afternoon and organize the details."

The Lee Jaemyung administration pledged during last year's presidential election to foster Sejong as a "smart and digital administrative hub." While online communication has expanded through video conferences and messenger apps like Telegram, key policy coordination, such as inter-ministerial consultations and permit approvals, still relies mainly on face-to-face meetings. The face-to-face work style has not changed significantly. An official from an economic ministry commented, "It's true that video conferences have become more frequent. The problem is that in-person meetings continue as before, and business trips have also increased as a result." Another ministry official said, "Whenever I have to respond to unexpected civil complaints while attending to visiting local government or agency officials, working overtime becomes inevitable."

According to the Sejong Complex Management Headquarters, in the first quarter of this year, there were 131,020 cases of entry passes issued to visitors across a total of 27 organizations (including ministries, agencies, and committees) within the complex, representing a 1.9% increase compared to the same period last year. Compared to the first quarter of 2023 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration (74,275 cases), this is a 76.4% increase over three years. On an annual basis, there were 436,430 cases in 2023, 537,510 in 2024, and 493,330 in 2025, exceeding 400,000 for three consecutive years. Contrary to the push for expanding non-face-to-face administration, the demand for on-site visits remains largely unchanged from the previous administration.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport issued by far the most entry passes, with 20,726 cases in the first quarter. In 2024, the ministry issued a total of 74,430 entry passes, which is 236 times more than the Prime Minister's Secretariat (315 cases), and about 29.5 times more than the Ministry of Government Legislation (2,523 cases), which is the administrative agency with the lowest number among those that actually conduct administrative work. This is attributed to the nature of its work, including allocation of social overhead capital (SOC) budgets, permits for urban development and redevelopment projects, and consultations on the establishment of metropolitan transportation networks, resulting in a constant influx of visitors from local governments, public institutions, and private construction companies.

Employees of the Building Management Headquarters at the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong City are informing drivers about the implementation of the two-day workweek system. The left side shows the central building, which serves as the workspace, and the right side shows the civil service building. Photo by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

In particular, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment saw a 44.1% surge in entry passes issued in the first quarter compared to the same period last year (7,700 cases). This is due to increased demand for consultations after some energy-related functions of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy were transferred to the climate ministry as part of a government reorganization earlier this year. In contrast, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy saw the number of visitors decrease by 18.0% from 9,820 to 8,048 over the same period. The impact of the transfer of functions is clearly reflected in the visitor statistics. However, since these figures include industry representatives, private associations, and general civil petitioners, it is difficult to interpret them as purely work-related visits between ministries. Still, a complex official explained, "In reality, work-related visits by government officials for inter-ministerial consultations make up the majority, rather than visits by ordinary petitioners."

Both central government officials and external public servants are experiencing increased work fatigue. A representative from a public institution under the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "When I worked in the budget department, I had to visit ministry budget officers several times a month. If you travel from a regional area just for one meeting, the whole day is lost including travel time. Honestly, it is very exhausting." During last year's presidential campaign, the government announced major regional pledges for the central region, aiming to complete Sejong as the core of the administrative capital and to promptly push forward with the second phase of public institution relocations. The plan also includes constructing the National Assembly Sejong branch and the Presidential Sejong Office during the president's term, and pursuing the full relocation of the National Assembly's main building and the Presidential Office through social consensus.

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