Euljiro 3-ga Rene Square: New Office Tower Chosen for Jungsubcheong Headquarters

Rene Square in Euljiro 3-ga has become more than just a new office building in central Seoul. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s launch preparation team selected the Seoul Jung-gu building as the location for both the headquarters and Seoul office of Jungsubcheong, the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, which is set to launch in October 2026.¹

For readers who know the area mainly through Euljiro Nogari Alley, the decision adds a new layer to a neighborhood already associated with old printing streets, after-work pubs, and quick access across Seoul’s downtown core. Rene Square now sits at the center of a more institutional story: how a newly launching investigative body is being placed inside a freshly completed private office building.

Why Rene Square in Euljiro 3-ga Was Chosen

The official explanation centers on practicality. The Jungsubcheong launch preparation team said it considered the purpose of separating investigation and prosecution, and judged that using an independent, standalone office building would be suitable. The team also reviewed privately leased buildings for accessibility and security before choosing Rene Square.¹

One quoted explanation from the launch preparation team gives a clear sense of the process: it “comprehensively reviewed accessibility and security” among private lease buildings, then went through site suitability analysis, field checks, and internal review.² That may sound procedural, but it matters because the agency is not simply renting ordinary office space. It is preparing a base for a public investigative institution, so transit access, controlled entry, and the ability to use space independently all become part of the decision.

Location also helps explain the choice. Yonhap reported that Rene Square is adjacent to Euljiro 3-ga Station, making it well placed inside Seoul’s central business district.³ For staff, visitors, and related public-sector work, that kind of subway proximity is an obvious advantage. The building’s setting near Cheonggyecheon and close to Euljiro Nogari Alley also makes the decision easy to place geographically for anyone familiar with the area. SBS described the site as being near Euljiro Nogari Alley along Cheonggyecheon.⁴

A New Office Tower Beside an Older Euljiro Landmark

Rene Square is not an old government building being repurposed. It is a newly completed business facility in Euljiro 3-ga District 6, developed in the area around 35-10 Supyo-dong, Jung-gu. Hyundai Engineering completed the building in May 2026, and the project was reported as having a land area of 4,156 square meters and a total floor area of 60,343 square meters.⁵

The scale is substantial: seven basement levels and 17 floors above ground.⁵ Earlier reporting also described Rene Square as a new office building of about 60,000 square meters, matching the later completion details.³ Its uses include office facilities and neighborhood living facilities, which means it belongs to the broader mixed business environment of central Seoul rather than to a closed public complex from the start.⁵

That contrast is part of what makes the story interesting. Euljiro Nogari Alley is known as a street-level cultural landmark, while Rene Square represents the area’s newer office development. The two are not the same thing, but their proximity shows how layered Euljiro has become. You can have a new 17-story office building near a place long recognized for casual food-and-drink culture, and both sit within the same downtown fabric.

The building’s role is also described as temporary in at least one account. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Rene Square was chosen as an interim building to be used before a new government building is constructed.² That detail keeps the decision in perspective. Rene Square may become the agency’s launch home, but the available source material does not present it as a permanent, purpose-built headquarters.

What the Move Suggests About Cost, Space, and Downtown Access

The choice was not made in a vacuum. Reporting in late April 2026 already said the government was strongly considering leasing Rene Square for the agency’s main office, noting that the Supyo-dong building had seven basement levels, 17 above-ground floors, and was expected to be completed in May.⁶ By June 24, the selection had moved from consideration to announcement.

Several reports also point to the likely amount of space involved. SBS said that, considering the size of Jungsubcheong’s personnel, leasing around six to seven floors could be possible, while also noting that online leasing information suggested heavy rent and management-fee burdens by floor.⁴ Kyunghyang Shinmun similarly reported that leasing around six to seven floors was being discussed.²

Cost appears to have influenced the wider search. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the government had considered buildings in the Gangnam area but turned attention north of the Han River because of rent burdens.² That detail helps explain why central-north downtown access, rather than a more expensive southern business district address, became part of the final picture.

Hyundai Engineering’s own framing of the building emphasizes the central business district. A company representative said the firm plans to keep expanding its capability to deliver high-quality office projects centered on Seoul’s CBD.⁵ In plain terms, Rene Square is being positioned as part of Seoul’s premium downtown office supply, and the Jungsubcheong decision gives that positioning a public-sector dimension.

For Euljiro, the selection of Rene Square shows how quickly the neighborhood’s identity can widen. The area can still be discussed through the familiar lens of Euljiro Nogari Alley, but the facts now also include a newly completed office tower, a planned investigative agency launch in October 2026, and a government decision shaped by accessibility, security, space, and rent. Rene Square’s story is therefore not just about one building; it is about how an old central Seoul district continues to absorb new public and business functions while keeping its recognizable urban character.

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joanna jang

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