As the competition among local governments intensifies for the second round of public institution relocations, Ulsan City is actively engaging with the National Assembly to attract institutions in the energy and new industry sectors, as well as the headquarters of integrated power companies.
On August 20, Ulsan announced that Shin Min-sik, the Deputy Mayor for Economy, and Song Yeon-joo, the Director of the Decentralization and Population Policy Bureau, visited the National Assembly to meet with lawmakers Park Sung-min, Yoon Jong-o, and Seo Beom-soo to request cooperation and support for Ulsan's bid for the second round of public institution relocations.
This visit follows an emergency meeting held the previous day, chaired by Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook, to strategize on attracting these institutions. The city aims to establish a collaborative response system with local political leaders.
The government has announced plans to begin the second round of public institution relocations in 2027. The specifics of the relocation targets and placement principles are expected to be significant factors in the upcoming competition.
Ulsan is focusing its efforts on the energy and new industry sectors. Recently, institutions such as the Korea Oil Management Corporation, the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation Institute, and the Korea Energy Foundation have been mentioned as potential targets for relocation.
Ulsan's emphasis on the energy sector is linked to the first round of public institution relocations. During that round, ten public institutions related to energy and labor welfare, including the Korea National Oil Corporation and Korea East-West Power, were relocated to Ulsan Innovation City. The city plans to attract additional institutions in the second round to enhance the synergy between existing industries and public institutions.
This time, Ulsan is also implementing a two-track strategy to attract the integrated headquarters of power companies, which the government is pursuing separately from the second round of public institution relocations.
Currently, there is interest not only from Ulsan but also from regions like Chungcheongnam-do and Gyeongsangnam-do, where existing power company headquarters are located, indicating potential fierce competition among regions. Ulsan aims to establish a "complete national energy value chain" by linking the second round of relocated institutions with existing energy public institutions like Korea East-West Power and the Korea National Oil Corporation.
During the visit, Deputy Mayor Shin Min-sik plans to explain the government's direction for the second round of relocations, Ulsan's progress, key areas of focus, and the rationale for targeting specific institutions, while also delivering related proposals to local lawmakers.
The city is also broadening the scope of its efforts beyond the political realm. In early September, Ulsan plans to launch a committee for attracting public institutions, which will include representatives from various sectors such as industry, labor, and youth. Joint discussions with local lawmakers and advocacy activities directed at the government and the National Assembly are also in the works.
Deputy Mayor Shin Min-sik stated, "Attracting the second round of public institutions and the integrated headquarters of power companies presents an opportunity to enhance Ulsan's future industrial competitiveness. We will work as a team with local lawmakers to actively advocate for our case and persuade the government and the National Assembly to achieve tangible results."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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