Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho, who has opposed the government's policy to transfer the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries from the Government Sejong Center to Busan, held a one-person protest in front of the ministry's main gate on the morning of the 2nd.
Mayor Choi held a sign reading "The transfer of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan is not right" and stood in front of employees on his way to work.
During the one-person protest, Mayor Choi also met briefly with the secretary-general of the ministry's labor union. The union's secretary-general reportedly expressed gratitude for the attention.
Mayor Choi, who protested for about an hour starting at 8 a.m., met with the labor union representatives at another location for about 30 minutes to discuss opinions. Mayor Choi reported issues such as administrative inefficiency stemming from the transfer of the ministry to Busan and procedural unfairness being pushed without public discourse.
The union reportedly expressed concern that the transfer schedule, directly related to the livelihoods of the ministry employees concerning issues like children's education and housing, is being rushed.
The issue of transferring the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan was triggered when President Lee Jae-myung pledged to make Busan the central city of a maritime power during his presidential candidacy.
Shortly after taking office, President Lee instructed in his first Cabinet meeting for a prompt transfer, leading to the concrete plans for the ministry's relocation to Busan.
As the movement for the transfer accelerates rapidly, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' civil servants' labor union is urging for the establishment of a public discourse procedure. The results of a survey conducted among ministry headquarters staff revealed that 86% of respondents oppose the transfer to Busan.
Along with Mayor Choi, four regional leaders from the Chungcheong area also expressed opposition to the policy of transferring the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan, raising voices of concern among the Chungcheong political sphere and civic groups.