Construction of Sejong Presidential Office and National Assembly Hall Still a Long Way Off [New Government Policy Issue]

National Symbol Zone in Sejong City to Hold National Design Competition
Comprehensive Urban Planning and Presidential Office Architectural Design Included
No Roadmap Yet for Completion of Administrative Capital
"Promise to the People Will Be Pursued with a Sense of Urgency," Say Observers

The new administration is envisioning the completion of an administrative capital by relocating the presidential office and the National Assembly building from Seoul to Sejong. However, as not even the first groundbreaking for site preparation has taken place, it is expected that a significant amount of budget and time will be required to realize the plan. Ultimately, observers believe that the feasibility of the plan will depend on the level of commitment shown by the government.

The site of the National Assembly Sejong Hall located in the national symbol area of Sejong-dong, Sejong Special Self-Governing City. Along the long road, a gray wall is installed extensively. Except for a few people riding bicycles, the area is sparsely populated, creating a desolate atmosphere. Photo by Kim Pyeonghwa

On June 16, the Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency is preparing a report for the launch of the National Policy Planning Committee, which will set the direction for the new administration's national agenda. The agency plans to report detailed plans, such as an international design competition for the creation of the National Symbol Zone?which will include the second presidential office and the National Assembly Sejong Hall in Sejong City?and finalize these plans through consultations with the presidential office.

The National Symbol Zone refers to an area of approximately 2.1 million square meters in Sejong-dong (S-1 living zone), located east of the Sejong Government Complex in Sejong City. This area is slated to house not only the second presidential office and the National Assembly Sejong Hall, but also related facilities and parks. The agency will soon launch a national design competition to develop this area into a national landmark.

An official from the agency explained, "Through the international competition, we will solicit proposals for the master plan of the entire National Symbol Zone, including the layout of each facility and internal circulation, as well as the architectural design for the second presidential office. The design for the office will be required to include functions necessary for presidential duties, such as a residence, secretariat, and security office."

President Lee Jaemyung has pledged to construct the presidential office and the National Assembly Sejong Hall within his term. Both inside and outside the government, there is an assessment that the new administration will not face significant difficulties in fulfilling this pledge, as the idea has been in development since the Roh Moo-hyun administration and was also pursued as a national agenda by the previous administration. The previously planned completion dates are 2027 for the second presidential office and 2031 for the National Assembly Sejong Hall, which are not far off from President Lee's term ending in 2030.

However, there are concerns that the international competition, which will serve as the overall blueprint for the National Symbol Zone, continues to be delayed compared to the original plan. The longer the international competition is delayed, the more the groundbreaking will inevitably be postponed. Although the original plan was to begin the competition this month, the agency explained that the timeline may be adjusted somewhat during the new administration's implementation process.

The "completion of Sejong as the administrative capital," one of the top ten pledges, is expected to face even greater challenges. To achieve this, both the presidential office and the National Assembly must be fully relocated to Sejong. Since the current National Symbol Zone project does not presuppose a complete relocation, additional budget and time will be required for this in the future.

A government official stated, "Even for the presidential office alone, it is not simply a matter of the president moving down and working there. Facilities equivalent to the Blue House are needed, but the Sejong site has not been developed at all, so it could take several years just to establish the basic infrastructure." Another government official added, "It will be difficult to accelerate the process immediately. As symbolic national institutions will be located here, proper preparations are necessary."

Inside view of the National Symbol Zone site. Only the ground has been dug up, and no other construction is underway. The area near the site is sparsely populated, with weeds growing thickly. Photo by Kim Pyeonghwa

As the process of returning the presidential office from Yongsan to the Blue House continues, it is also difficult to concretize the relocation plan to Sejong. According to city officials, Sejong City recently requested a specific roadmap for the construction and relocation of the presidential office from the presidential office, but "has not received a response." The need for constitutional amendment through national consensus in the process of designating Sejong as the administrative capital is also a major obstacle.

A Democratic Party official who worked in the National Land and Spatial Innovation Committee under the Central Election Countermeasures Committee during the presidential election period said, "The relocation plan has always existed, so the key is how much determination the new administration will have in pursuing it. Since this was a promise made to the people, we will review it and try to push it forward with a sense of urgency."

The official added, "Although there are difficulties in establishing the administrative capital due to past Constitutional Court rulings, we can consider options such as a constitutional amendment or legal revision to seek a new ruling from the Constitutional Court. I believe the new administration will sufficiently review these aspects and consult with the party during the process."