Chungcheong Regional Council Adopts Resolution Opposing Relocation of MOF and KARI

Photo by Office of Chungcheong Regional Council

The Chungcheong Regional Council announced on July 11 that it had adopted a resolution opposing the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which was proposed by Shin Youngho, a member of the People Power Party (Seocheon 2).

This move is a strong expression of opposition to President Lee Jaemyung's directive at the Cabinet meeting on June 5 to relocate the MOF to Busan, as well as to the legislative proposal to move KARI to Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.

Representative Shin pointed out, "The directive to relocate the MOF to Busan runs counter to the national agenda of balanced regional development and the completion of Sejong City as the administrative capital." He continued, "The MOF is a central government agency that was relocated to Sejong City in 2013 in line with the national goal of balanced regional development," and emphasized, "It was established to promote both the alleviation of overcrowding in the Seoul metropolitan area and the development of non-metropolitan regions."

He further stated, "Due to a shift in government policy, even KARI, which has been located in the Daedeok Research Complex in Daejeon for over 30 years, is now being considered for relocation, which is a cause for serious concern." He added, "This will trigger new regional conflicts over the relocation of administrative agencies and fundamentally undermine the national science and technology development system."

Representative Shin stressed, "Completing the administrative capital centered on Sejong City is not just a task for the Chungcheong region, but was one of the top 10 national agendas of the late President Roh Moo-hyun in 2003, as well as a future development strategy for the nation and a promise made to the people." He emphasized, "Retaining and concentrating administrative agencies in Sejong is also essential for administrative efficiency and policy coherence."

The resolution adopted on this day will be delivered to the Office of the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Minister of Science and ICT, among others.