Major state-run financial institutions, including the Korea Development Bank (KDB), are intensifying their opposition to a possible government plan to relocate their headquarters out of Seoul, industry officials said Tuesday. Unions at three major policy lenders, the KDB, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Industrial Bank of Korea, have planned a joint rally against the relocation, while unions at the Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) and Korea Trade Insurance Corp. (K-SURE) have also voiced opposition through policy forums and statements. While the government has yet to finalize the list of institutions to be relocated, local governments such as Busan are stepping up efforts to attract them to their regions. The unions of the three state-run banks argue, however, that relocating policy banks out of Seoul ignores the nature of financial markets and could weaken policy financing capabilities and national competitiveness by splitting up key financial institutions. “Even concentrating all financial capabilities in one city is not enough to compete with global financial hubs,” th