effort to relocate hundreds of state institutions out of Seoul and ease the capital's dominance over the nation. The country has long wrestled with a widening regional divide, with roughly half of its 51 million people concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area in pursuit of jobs and education. Relocations began in 2012 when the prime minister's office moved to Sejong, about 120 kilometres south of Seoul. Since then, 44 central government bodies - including the finance and health ministries - have already relocated to the city. Officials said 350 public institutions based in the Seoul metropolitan area will have their relocation plans finalized in 2026. "Balanced growth is now no longer a matter of choice, but a survival strategy for a sustainable South Korea”, said Prime Minister Han Seong-sook. She added the government aims to complete a second presidential office in Sejong by August 2029 and a second National Assembly building by 2033. The foreign and unification ministries could also be relocated once both are completed, according to Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung. The plan also includes moving the gender equality ministry and prosecution service. The decision follows announced investments by chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix of 800 trillion won ($589 billion) in a chip hub in southwest South Korea, likewise aimed at curbing regional inequality. Many regions are confronting shrinking, ageing populations that are forcing schools and children's clinics to close, as the country deals with one of the world's lowest birth rates. As of 2024, 130 of South Korea's 228 cities, counties and districts - 57 percent - were classified as at risk of disappearing due to population decline.  The Seoul capital region occupies just 12 percent of national land but produces 53 percent of GDP and over three-fifths of R&D investment, per OECD data. "The starting point of virtually all the major problems South Korea currently faces is the extreme imbalance in the country's development”, President Lee Jae Myung said last week. (Bssnews)