Told to Relocate Out of Capital, Public Agency Accused of 'Staking Claim' on Seoul Youth Housing Site

[Anchor]

At a time when the government is pushing to relocate public institutions to provincial regions to promote balanced national development, it has been confirmed that one public agency is preparing to move into Yongsan Park in Seoul. The agency has also drawn up plans to divert research and development reserves to cover its office relocation expenses.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin reports.

[Reporter]

This is the former site of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration located inside Yongsan Park in Seoul.

Located in the northern section of the park, this area was cited by the government in August as one of the candidate sites for new housing supplies, including rental homes for young adults.

[Kim Yoon-duk / Then Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (In August, National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee plenary session) : "There is the former DAPA site, and there are some areas that have already completely lost their function as green spaces."]

However, it has been confirmed that the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute, an affiliated organization of the Agency for Defense Development currently based in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, is pushing to relocate into a building on this former DAPA site.

That somewhat aged-looking building behind me was previously used as office space by the Defense Media Agency.

The institute plans to set up its new offices in that building.

According to internal documents obtained by SBS, the institute allocated a budget of 1.88 billion won for remodeling the building and establishing necessary infrastructure for the relocation.

It was also revealed to have planned to cover 1.22 billion won of that amount using research and development reserve funds from the Agency for Defense Development.

While the government is pursuing a "second phase of public institution relocation" and reviewing Yongsan Park as a candidate site for housing supply, the institute appears to be moving into Yongsan Park in defiance of the regional relocation policy.

Criticism is mounting over whether the agency is effectively "staking a claim" to remain in Seoul.

[Boo Seung-chan / Member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee (Democratic Party of Korea) : "There could be no greater policy contradiction than this, and it is completely unacceptable. Especially amid a housing supply cliff, these matters must be weighed with great care, and agencies must actively cooperate with government policies."]

The institute stated its position to SBS, saying, "The relocation discussions have been carried out in consultation with relevant agencies, including the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, so there is no problem."

However, critics point out that a government-level review is urgently needed to determine whether the move adheres to the principle of decentralizing public institutions and whether it aligns with the broader master plan for Yongsan Park.

(Video by Oh Young-choon, Lee Seung-hwan, and Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing by Lee So-young | Graphics by Kim Ye-ji and Hwang Se-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.