"Seoul Offices Disappear, No Choice but to Move to the Regions"... Employees Face Double Hardship [Aftermath of Integration]

Second Wave of Regional Relocations to Follow Restructuring
Housing and Living Environments to Change After Organizational Integration
Potential Conflicts Over Pay and Promotion

The Foundation for Comprehensive Support of Businesses Owned by Persons with Disabilities (with 49 employees), which operates under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, will be transferred to the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities, an affiliate organization under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (with 1,534 employees). Employees at the center will face comprehensive changes in their work, including position and pay structures, reporting lines, and organizational culture. On September 10, an official from a public institution under the Ministry of Employment and Labor commented, "Since the merger and consolidation policy was announced, there has been a subdued atmosphere at the Foundation for Comprehensive Support of Businesses Owned by Persons with Disabilities. We understand that there is significant anxiety about changes in affiliation and evaluation systems."

The anxiety among employees at organizations targeted for integration has increased because the government has announced not only the consolidation of public institutions but also a second phase of regional relocation. In addition to transitions in affiliation and workflow, if they are required to move their workplaces, this would necessitate further changes in their working environment, housing, and overall living conditions, increasing their sense of burden.

Integration within the Greater Seoul Area, Followed by Potential Regional Relocation

There are growing concerns that if institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area are first integrated and subsequently included in the second phase of regional relocation, employees could face "two moves" in reality. Previously, the Foundation for Comprehensive Support of Businesses Owned by Persons with Disabilities was based in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, while the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities was located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The center could be transferred to the Suwon facility, but there is also a possibility of relocation to another region.

The National Heritage Policy Research Institute in Jung-gu, Seoul, and the Overseas Cultural Heritage Foundation in Mapo-gu, Seoul, will each be consolidated into the National Heritage Promotion Institute in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The Korea Institute of Intellectual Property (Gangnam-gu, Seoul) will be merged with the Korea Invention Promotion Association (Gangnam-gu, Seoul). The Post Office Facilities Management Agency and the Special Post Office Pension Management Agency will also be consolidated, centering on their existing institutions. If these newly integrated organizations are included in the targets for regional relocation, they may be required to move again following organizational restructuring.

Organizations Absorbed by Regional Institutions Have a Determined Destination

For organizations being absorbed into public institutions located in the regions, a move to the provinces has effectively already been determined, regardless of the second phase of relocation. The Korea Parking Safety Institute (Seoul) and Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (Incheon) will be absorbed into the Korea Transportation Safety Authority in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. The Regenerative Medicine Promotion Foundation (Seoul) and the Korea Cosmetic Industry Institute (Osan, Gyeonggi Province) will become part of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The Korea Energy Foundation (Seoul) and Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Energy Culture (Seoul) will be merged into the Korea Energy Agency in Ulsan.

The Korea Rural & Fishery Hope Foundation will be incorporated into the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Sejong. The Foundation for Support of Youth with Migrant Backgrounds and the Youth Advancement Foundation for Agricultural and Fishing Villages will be absorbed into the Korea Youth Counseling and Welfare Institute in Busan. The Korea Defense Transition Education Institute will be incorporated into Korea University of Technology and Education in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. The Overseas Korean Cooperation Center will become an internal organization within the Overseas Koreans Agency in Incheon.

Yonhap News

Confusion Inevitable Due to Varied Organizational Cultures

When different organizations are merged, there must be adjustments to differences in organizational culture, as well as in rank, pay, personnel, and evaluation systems. Work previously split between separate entities will also need to be reassigned. Even if employment succession is guaranteed, changes in workflow and roles within the organization could lead to internal conflicts. An official from a public corporation said, "Even if employment succession is realized, the most immediate concerns are living conditions and opportunities for promotion. When relocated to a new region, the primary issue of interest is how support for changes of residence and the personnel system necessary for promotion will be applied."

An official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance commented, "Physically gathering and merging institutions from the metropolitan area, only to move them again to the regions, is a waste of budget and administrative effort. We will first proceed with administrative and functional integration, and if the consolidated institution is officially designated for the second phase of regional relocation, we will merge them physically and relocate them all at once." He added, "There will be no cases in which employees have to move twice."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.