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Enlarging Seoul? Think again.

Published: 01 Nov. 2023, 20:18

The People Power Party (PPP) is out to change the Seoul map by incorporating Gimpo and other small adjacent cities in Gyeonggi. The governing party internally reached a conclusion to bring Gimpo under Seoul, according to PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is expected to meet with Gimpo Mayor Kim Byeong-soo, both ruling party members, to discuss the matter. A senior PPP official has said that Guri, Gwangmyung and Hanam cities also could be absorbed into the metropolitan city. Seoul has a population of 9.41 million. The number would top 12 million when Gimpo’s 486,000 and residents of Guri, Gwangmyung, and Hanam are also counted.

Since the 1970s, our governments have sought balanced land development to contain the overconcentration of people in Seoul. President Park Chung Hee was the first to declare deconcentration measures in 1964. Seoul stopped expanding in 1973 with Gupabal’s inclusion in the Eunyeong District. Some fine-tuning took place, but the map of Seoul has stayed more or less intact over the past 50 years. Changing it would go beyond redrawing the administrative jurisdictions; it would mean a fundamental overhaul of the land’s comprehensive outline.

Kim Gi-hyeon said that Seoul is small compared to major capitals and metropolitan areas like London, New York, Berlin, and Beijing. “We need a mega-city project to make Seoul more competitive against other major cities,” the PPP leader said. Enlarging Seoul to raise its competitiveness cannot persuade the people. Many cities have grown in balance in advanced countries, wheras Korea is entirely concentrated in its capital region. The withdrawal of de-concentration policy could bring about strong protests from other regions. The ramifications on real estate, education, traffic, and environment could be huge, too.

The sudden move can be understood as an election strategy. But a vote-aiming promise of regional development could be disastrous. Former President Roh Moo-hyun vowed to construct a new administrative capital in South Chungcheong while running for presidency in 2002. He later admitted that he had “benefited” from the campaign promise. But the plan caused severe confusion. Some big cities in the province underwent reorganization as a result. Changwon became the largest city in South Gyeongsang by incorporating Masan and Jinhae in 2010 while Gunwi County of North Gyeongsang was integrated into Daegu. But Seoul and the capital region are different from big cities in provincial regions.

Any changes to the land development plan, including the enlargement of Seoul, must be studied with prudence and farsightedness. Ideas must be discussed thoroughly with experts and the public. If they are pushed only to win votes, the side effects will be immense. National development must not be abused for political gains.