Blue House: President Lee Expresses Willingness to Hold Retirement Ceremony in Sejong... Orders Expedited Construction

by Song Seungseop

Published 14 Apr.2026 14:13(KST)

Updated 14 Apr.2026 16:17(KST)

President Lee Jaemyung has instructed that construction be expedited to enable the use of the presidential office in Sejong during his term, stating that he will hold his retirement ceremony in Sejong, according to the Office of the President on April 14.

Lee Guyoun, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Communication, said in a briefing at Chunchugwan on this day, "As promised to the public, we will make every effort to ensure that the presidential office in Sejong can be occupied by August 2029," adding, "Through this, we aim to complete the administrative capital and usher in a true era of balanced national development."

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Lee further explained, "This site development project carries symbolic and significant meaning for balanced national development," and continued, "It is the first action, the first construction, and the first groundbreaking to fulfill the promise to the public of completing the administrative capital-not just in documents or as political slogans, but through real action on the ground."

The bid announcement for the site development project for the construction of the presidential office in Sejong will be made on April 15. The site covers 350,000 square meters, with a project cost of 9.8 billion won and a construction period of 14 months. In addition, a design competition for the presidential office in Sejong is already underway. The Office of the President plans to select the winner by the end of this month and begin construction in August of next year.

Previously, at a work report meeting held at Sejong Convention Center on December 12 of last year, President Lee stated, "I've mentioned several times that after going to Yongsan (the current presidential office) and briefly returning to the Blue House, I will likely have my retirement ceremony in Sejong," and added, "If the presidential office is built by the Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency in 2030, would I only have a brief look before leaving? It seems we need to speed up the process."