Park Hongkeun's Spatial Innovation: Ministry of Planning and Budget to Open Sejong's First Smart Work Center for Childcare

Earlier this year, the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget announced plans to create a “Smart Work Center for Childcare”-the first facility within the Government Complex Sejong that allows employees to balance both work and childcare. This initiative is a direct response from the new Minister, Hongkeun Park, to the concerns raised by Millennials & Gen Z employees struggling to achieve work-life balance. Minister Park is also leading spatial innovation by creating employee communication areas, including a new space in front of the previously quiet minister’s office, to foster a flexible and practical organizational culture.

Minister Hongkeun Park of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance held a communication meeting with VisionX employees leading organizational culture innovation. Ministry of Strategy and Finance

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According to government officials on April 29, the Ministry plans to establish the Smart Work Center for Childcare in Building 5 of the new Sejong government complex, which previously housed the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The dedicated space, approximately 70 square meters, will be located between the Budget Office and the Future Strategy Office on the fifth floor. It will accommodate around 10 employees, allowing them to work while caring for their children.

Employees will be able to use the Smart Work Center for Childcare during unexpected childcare gaps, such as after kindergarten or daycare pick-up, or during school vacations. A Ministry official explained, “This is the first time a space within the Sejong Government Complex will allow staff to balance work and childcare. While the play area and work area will be separated, glass walls will allow visual contact between the two spaces.”

The establishment of the Smart Work Center for Childcare is the result of Minister Park’s proactive response to challenges faced by Millennials & Gen Z employees seeking work-life balance. Earlier this year, as the Ministry relocated from the Central Building it shared with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to Building 5, employee suggestions were gathered before finalizing the new office layout. Among these, “VisionX”-a group of Millennials & Gen Z employees leading organizational culture innovation-voiced their concerns about gaps in childcare.

Due to the nature of the Ministry's work, overtime and weekend work are common during the budget season from June to August. After all departments submit next year’s budget proposals by May 31, the Ministry must finalize the main budget to be submitted to the National Assembly by the end of August. With frequent urgent directives and unexpected situations, employees often face unanticipated childcare gaps, leading to high levels of stress.

After hearing these concerns, Minister Park strongly agreed on the need for a space where employees can manage both work and childcare, and approved the creation of the Smart Work Center for Childcare. Most of the construction for the Ministry’s new building is expected to be completed by June 10, with the Smart Work Center for Childcare scheduled for completion in early June. The move has already begun: the Budget Office’s relocation from the Central Building is in its final stages, and non-budget departments such as the General Affairs Office, Future Strategy Office, and Public Relations Office-previously located outside the complex in KT&G-will move in sequentially starting in May.

Minister Park’s spatial innovation will also change the previously quiet atmosphere in front of the minister and vice minister’s offices. A multipurpose space for employee communication, called the “MPB Hall,” will be created, named after the Ministry’s English title, Ministry of Planning and Budget. In addition, a Budget Consultation Room will be established, providing a waiting area for local government and other ministry officials who previously had to wait in the corridor.

One Ministry employee commented, “Although the establishment of the new Ministry meant moving from a newly built Central Building to an older facility, the Minister’s commitment to employee-friendly spatial innovation has raised expectations.”

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