For more than two decades, the Korean government has tried, in fits and starts, to move its center of political power away from Seoul. The effort has produced a new administrative city and dozens of relocated government ministries, but the president has never had a real foothold with them down south. President Lee Jae Myung wants to change that and, on Tuesday, he gave his clearest signal yet that he intends to get it built before his term ends.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting held at Government Complex Sejong, Lee called for ministers to make an all-out push to complete a new presidential office in the city, saying he wants to hold his administration's final Cabinet meeting there.

"Accelerate the construction of the presidential office in Sejong and the Sejong branch of the National Assembly and make sure that related infrastructure projects proceed without disruption," he said, describing Sejong as a city that must become a firmly established center of national governance to support balanced regional development.

The remarks were the latest and most concrete reaffirmation of his campaign pledge that has become central to his regional development agenda, even as questions linger over whether the plan amounts to a full relocation of the presidential office or the establishment of a second workplace alongside Seoul.

**Campaign promise with constitutional limits **

Lee first pledged to build a presidential office in Sejong in April 2025, while running in the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary. He promised to complete the project within his five-year term, later formalizing it as one of his 10 official election pledges.

But he has acknowledged a key limitation: a full relocation of the presidential office would require amending the Constitution, since a 2004 Constitutional Court ruling effectively enshrined Seoul as the nation's capital by customary law. That legal ceiling is why the current plan is framed not as a outright relocation of the seat of power, but as the construction of a second presidential workplace.

Progress during Lee's term

The push gained momentum quickly after Lee took office. On Aug. 5, 2025, about two months after Lee's inauguration, the State Affairs Planning Committee designated the project as one of its priority fast-track tasks. By Dec. 22, the government selected a master plan — "The Future We Build Together" by ANU Design Group Architects — for Sejong's National Symbolic District, which is set to house both the presidential office and a new Sejong branch of the National Assembly.

A separate design competition for the Sejong presidential office itself launched in January 2026, with a winner originally to be revealed in April. That announcement was postponed abruptly, however, amid concerns that the leading design failed to sufficiently convey the dignity, national symbolism and Korean identity expected of a landmark state building. Lee opted to refine — rather than reopen — the competition and the winning design by HAEAHN Architecture was announced on July 22.

What comes next

Officials now aim to fine-tune and finalize the design and break ground in 2027, targeting occupancy by August 2029. An advisory panel of experts in culture, architecture and history is expected to be convened to help refine the design, alongside continued public input.

Once completed, the facility is expected to serve as a second presidential workplace, where the president can work closer with the ministries that have already relocated to Sejong over the past decade. The question of a full and permanent relocation of the presidential office from Seoul, however, remains subject to constitutional and political debate.

Sejong City welcomed Lee’s renewed commitment, Tuesday. Sejong Mayor Cho Sang-ho called on the Assembly to pass a special act on the administrative capital during its regular session, saying the legislation would provide a stable legal foundation for the project.

“We will continue to press ahead, together with our 400,000 residents, until the president’s bold vision comes to fruition as a landmark achievement that reshapes Korea’s future,” the city government said in a statement.