South Korea’s foreign and unification ministries have exchanged no official correspondence with other government agencies over their planned relocation to Sejong, according to ministry responses cited by a lawmaker Sunday.
Rep. Kim Dai-sik of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, obtained the responses from the foreign, unification and defense ministries.
The government announced Oct. 13 that it would pursue a second round of central government relocations to Sejong by 2031, with no exemptions for ministries responsible for foreign affairs and national security. The plan calls for amending the special law governing the administrative city and constructing new government offices.
Asked to submit official documents exchanged with the Interior Ministry and other agencies concerning the move, the Foreign Ministry said, “At present, there is no official correspondence sent to or received from the relevant ministries.”
The Unification Ministry likewise said it had no record of official correspondence with other agencies regarding relocation to Sejong.
The Defense Ministry referred to the Interior Ministry’s announcement without directly addressing whether it had exchanged official documents. It said it was closely consulting with relevant agencies on detailed relocation plans to ensure continued support for the president as commander in chief and maintain military readiness.
Asked whether it had assessed the impact on face-to-face meetings with foreign diplomatic missions and urgent consultations with the presidential office and National Security Office, the Foreign Ministry said it planned to hold sufficient consultations with other ministries to ensure diplomatic functions continued without disruption.
The Unification Ministry said it had not yet reviewed whether inter-Korean communications and security facilities would be relocated to Sejong or remain in Seoul.
The ministry has continued trying to contact North Korea despite inter-Korean communication channels having been cut off since April 7, 2023.
“Relocating ministries responsible for foreign affairs and security is a serious matter directly linked to national security and crisis response,” Kim said. “It is difficult to understand how there could have been no official correspondence between the relevant ministries before the announcement.”
“The government must clearly explain what reviews and consultations led to the relocation decision and what measures it has prepared to prevent gaps in national security and emergency response,” he said.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com