Opposition floor leader urges scrapping of Sejong City plan

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- The floor leader of the main opposition party on
Wednesday urged the president to scrap a disputed government plan to build a
business-science hub in the country's central region, forecasting that it would
sink the parliament into a political quagmire during the special session.

The government last month announced a plan to reverse an initiative by the
preceding administration to relocate a number of key government offices to Sejong
City, now under construction in South Chungcheong Province, some 150 kilometers
south of Seoul.
Under the proposed revisions, the new city would be turned into a business and
science hub instead of an administrative town. The plan has caused a political
uproar among opposition parties, Chungcheong residents and even a minor faction
in the ruling party.
"I urge the president not to present any more bills that could create chaos in
the National Assembly. While partisanship is deepening day by day, it is of the
utmost importance for the parliament to focus on tackling issues concerning
public welfare," Lee Kang-rae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, said during
a plenary session.
The floor leader demanded an apology from the president for terminating the
original plan, describing it as "an example of Lee's self-righteousness,
unilateralism and soloist nature."
"No traces of consideration on tackling issues of the metropolitan area's
overcrowdedness and regional impoverishment can found," said Lee.
Regarding judiciary reform, Lee insisted on establishing a special committee for
reforming the prosecution, arguing that "judiciary justice cannot take root in
this land without reforming the prosecution."
Lee also called for the immediate establishment of a bipartisan committee to
review the government's plan to renovate the country's four major rivers.
Proposed by the president, the project calls for the government to spend 3.5
trillion won (US$2.98 billion) by 2012 to revamp the country's four major rivers
-- the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan -- in order to prevent floods and cope
with water shortages. The plan has remained a subject of political dispute since
last year.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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