President Lee Jae-myung: "We Must Quickly Build the Second Presidential Office and Relocate It to Sejong"

Finalization of Key National Policy Tasks:
Constitutional Amendment to Officially Designate Sejong as Administrative Capital and Complete the Sejong Project
Choi Minho, Mayor of Sejong, Welcomes First Cabinet Meeting of New Administration Held in Sejong City on the 16th

On the 16th, President Lee Jae-myung reaffirmed his strong commitment to the swift construction of the presidential office in Sejong and the completion of the administrative capital during a Cabinet meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong. This was the first Cabinet meeting held at the Sejong Complex since President Lee took office.

President Lee Jae-myung held his first Cabinet meeting since taking office on the 16th at the Government Complex Sejong. Afterwards, he held a meeting with young farmers at Joil Farm in Jeondong-myeon, Sejong City, attentively listening and taking notes on the participants' remarks. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On this day, the 123 key national policy tasks of the Lee Jae-myung administration, including the constitutional amendment to officially designate Sejong as the administrative capital and the completion of the administrative capital project, were finalized at the Cabinet meeting.

While presiding over the Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Sejong, President Lee emphasized, "Sejong City is a symbol of balanced regional development, and completing Sejong as the administrative capital is laying the cornerstone for balanced growth."

In particular, the first Cabinet meeting held in Sejong since the launch of the new administration is being evaluated as an important milestone that reaffirmed both domestically and internationally the status of Sejong as the administrative capital and the importance of balanced national development.

In his opening remarks, President Lee stated, "It feels relaxed and pleasant to be in Sejong," adding, "We must quickly build the second presidential office and relocate it to Sejong." He further explained, "In the past, the single-centered system in the capital region was formed to efficiently utilize limited resources, but now its limitations are clear." He declared his intention to "complete Sejong as the administrative capital as the cornerstone of balanced national development."

The first Cabinet meeting at the Sejong Complex marked a historic moment, as it officially confirmed the core roadmap for state administration during President Lee's term by approving the 123 national policy tasks proposed by the National Planning Committee on August 13. The policy tasks include: incorporating the official designation of Sejong as the administrative capital in the constitutional amendment agenda; promoting the complete relocation of the presidential office and the National Assembly to Sejong after construction and social consensus; designating mega special zones; and implementing the second phase of public institution relocations. Other tasks include expanding local fiscal authority through increased local finances, broadening the registration of national heritage sites with UNESCO, and advancing the global K-culture network, including expanding Sejong Institutes.

Choi Minho, Mayor of Sejong City, commented, "As the mayor of Sejong and as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I sincerely welcome the decision to confirm the constitutional amendment for the official designation of the administrative capital and the completion of Sejong as national policy tasks." Mayor Choi emphasized that "through these policy tasks, Sejong can move beyond being a multifunctional administrative city and become a future strategic capital that addresses national crises such as metropolitan overpopulation, low birth rates, and super-aging."

He also stated, "Officially designating the status of the administrative capital in the Constitution is a historic reform and a major transformation of the national governance system," and called for "the start of constitutional discussions based on bipartisan cooperation between the government and political circles, as well as national consensus." He added, "Presenting a concrete roadmap for the complete relocation of the National Assembly and the presidential office is the first step toward completing Sejong as the administrative capital," and stressed, "I hope that regularly holding Cabinet meetings in Sejong will demonstrate the government's strong commitment to completing the administrative capital to the people."