Incheon locals push back against plan to move Overseas Koreans Agency to Sejong
Political parties, local officials and civic activists in Incheon are pushing back against the government’s plan to relocate the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) to Sejong, calling the decision unilateral and demanding it be scrapped. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced Oct. 13 that 44 ministries and agencies would relocate in phases beginning next year through 2031 as part of a…
Residents of Incheon are vehemently opposing the government's decision to relocate the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) to Sejong, labeling the move as arbitrary and urging its cancellation. On October 13, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that 44 ministries and agencies would gradually shift their locations starting next year, extending up to 2031, as part of a nationwide strategy to dismantle the capital-centric administrative system.
The agency, which manages diaspora policy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is set to be among the first six entities to move, with a transition to Sejong's administrative city slated for the first half of 2027. Initially founded in Incheon due to intense rivalry among local governments, the OKA was chosen for its closeness to Incheon International Airport and its historical role as a symbol of the Korean diaspora's entry point.
More recently, the agency has contemplated moving to a government building in Seoul, struggling to secure adequate office space, with a proposal to relocate there as well.
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