PPP warns against relocation of foreign, defense ministries to Sejong

The Korea Times - Oct 15, 2026

The People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday strongly denounced the government's decision to relocate 44 ministries and agencies, including the foreign and defense ministries, to the central administrative city of Sejong by 2031. The main opposition party warned that moving the key ministries responsible for foreign affairs and national defense to Sejong would be a self-destructive decision that could undermine national security. Rep. Joo Ho-young, a six-term lawmaker and former vice speaker of the National Assembly, said relocating the defense ministry without thorough national security measures could be seen as effectively abandoning the defense of the capital. "In Korea, a divided nation still under an armistice, the ability of wartime leadership to communicate and make decisions swiftly during an emergency determines the very fate of the nation," Joo said in a news conference at the National Assembly. He also noted that Seoul is home to embassies from 118 countries, warning that relocating the foreign ministry could force them to either bear the costs of moving alongside the ministry or

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