Goals to revise Sejong City suggested
Published: 05 Nov. 2009, 01:53
Chung Un-chan
“I have no detailed and confirmed alternative for Sejong City,” Chung said. “But I think it’s clear that the city won’t be able to develop into an autonomous city where 500,000 people happily live as envisioned in the current plan.” Chung made his comments at a press conference at the government complex in central Seoul.
Chung also said he will launch a committee consisting of government officials and civilian experts to discuss possible alternatives. He will lead the committee with another representative from the private sector. The 25 committee members will include leaders of eight related ministries and private experts.
The press conference came hours after Chung reported his ideas to President Lee Myung-bak. Blue House spokesman Lee Dong-kwan quoted President Lee as saying that Sejong’s alternative should be “more developed and useful in terms of effectiveness than the original plan.”
In preparing the alternative, the president advised Chung to take into account national competitiveness, the nation’s future after reunification with North Korea and regional development. The spokesman said the president said he will “unveil his stance at the appropriate time.”
Chung told reporters that “it is hard to find successful cases in other countries that have made similar attempts as the one pushed by us. The issue can’t just be left as it is, when we are already aware there are so many problems. I think it will be helpful neither to the country nor to the Chungcheong provinces.”
He added, “Before it’s too late, we should again discuss this issue seriously.”
The prime minister, who was inaugurated last month, had earlier proposed the city already being built focus on international education or medical research. Under the original plan that was initiated by the former Roh Moo-hyun administration, nine ministries, two agencies and two smaller units were to relocate to the city in Gongju, South Chungcheong.
Sejong originates from the name of the Joseon Dynasty king who invented Hangul, the Korean alphabet.
Multiple sources with the government say the a scenario deemed most desirable for Sejong is accommodating scientific research centers, enterprises and universities and luring foreign capital.
Opposition parties have insisted the plan proceed as planned, criticizing President Lee for giving Chung, a native of Chungcheong, the task of carrying out what the Lee administration wants. The project was highly welcomed by the provincial residents, who expected it would boost their local economy.
Sitting at the center of the southern peninsula, the area has great political clout. It has played a decisive role in presidential races before and is expected to do so in upcoming elections.
The minor opposition Liberty Forward Party, in particular, has a stronghold in the region. Its founder and leader, Lee Hoi-chang, who fought against former President Roh Moo-hyun during the 2002 presidential race, was born there.
Chung delineated several reasons why the Sejong project should be revised. He cited the argument by some that it could be hard to see the city have a population over 100,000 - one-fifth of the original target. Although the original plan said the city would attract diverse industries and educational institutions that would lure new residents, exactly how this was to be accomplished remained absent, he said.
He also pointed to the “inefficiency in administration,” since the plan would force the National Assembly and part of the administration to be separated. And he said the new city would pose many problems if reunification takes place.
“Reflecting on Germany’s case, there will be demand for relocating or dividing the capital city should we be reunited. In that case, we will either see three capital cities or force Sejong to relocate again,” he said.
Chung’s statement faced harsh criticism from opposition lawmakers and even some ruling GNP members who have sided with former GNP leader Park Geun-hye. Lee Kang-rae, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, urged President Lee to push ahead with the original plan and end the dispute over Sejong. He said the president should honor the promise he made during the presidential campaign.
Lee Hoi-chang of the Liberty Forward Party reiterated his position that the government should stick with the original plan. “Sejong City is a matter of principle and confidence. [Having a government agenda] upturned by the word of a president is only possible under dictatorship.”
The ruling Grand National Party lawmakers also clashed over Sejong during a public meeting yesterday. The party is currently divided into two factions, supporting either the president or Park Geun-hye. Rep. Park, who challenged Lee during the party’s presidential primary, has resisted the president’s plan to revise the Sejong agenda. As former party head, she passed the relocation bill with the Roh administration.
By Seo Ji-eun [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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