Moving Industrial Bank of Korea's headquarters from Seoul to a provincial area under the government's second-phase public institution relocation plan could weaken policy-finance support for smaller companies in the capital region. As of the end of June, ₩176.04 trillion ($127.0 billion), or 65.2% of IBK's ₩270 trillion ($194.8 billion) in SME loans, was extended to companies in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon. Those firms represented 62.6% of IBK's 432,121 SME borrowers, while 404 of its 598 branches were in the Seoul metropolitan area. Critics warn that separating headquarters credit reviews from the bank's main customer base could lengthen loan processing, encourage companies to switch banks and weaken IBK's crisis-lending role. The government owns 68.5% of the KOSPI-listed bank, prompting scrutiny over minority-shareholder rights, while staff attrition, relocation costs and a possible union strike add to the controversy.