Gov`t signals major amendment to `administrative city` plan

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS prime minister's comments; CHANGES throughout)
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Chung Un-chan hinted on Thursday at
major changes to a government-led plan to move a dozen ministries and agencies
out of Seoul, saying the new city where they would be relocated should be focused
on business rather than administration.
Political disputes have escalated in recent months over the 2005 bill to relocate
nine ministries and four government agencies to a new "administrative city" now
under construction at a site in South Chungcheong Province, about 160km south of
Seoul.
The incumbent government made official Wednesday it will draw up an alternative
to the plan, sparking objections from opposition parties as well as Chungcheong
residents.
"I believe it would be more beneficial to the region for companies to move to the
region rather than administrative bodies," Prime Minister Chung told a
parliamentary interpellation session Thursday. "Splitting up government
ministries would cause trouble to national crisis management as well as
preparation procedures for after unification (with North Korea)."
The prime minister has submitted a draft of the revised plan to President Lee
Myung-bak which is focused on measures to increase jobs and education
opportunities in the Chungcheong region by building branches there of top South
Korean colleges and biotechnology firms, officials said earlier Thursday.
Chung, who has been leading the drive to modify the original plan since he took
office in September, is also pushing to draw up an alternative that is in line
with President Lee's green growth policy, officials said.
President Lee has been pushing the so-called "low carbon, green growth" policy
since his inauguration early last year, allocating an estimated 11 trillion won
(US$10 billion) annually to develop clean energy and sustainable growth engines.
"We, so far, have not yet come up with a detailed alternative plan," Chung said.
"Building a science and technology city is one option. We will come up with a
better plan to build a better city."
Former President Roh Moo-hyun had initiated the project to build the new
administrative city, making it an election campaign pledge in 2002. Critics
called it a "political gesture" to garner support from the neutral Chungcheong
region.
The incumbent government has been seeking to downsize the relocation, citing
inefficiency and costliness of the original plan.
The move, however, has faced immense opposition even from ruling party members
including Park Geun-hye, a former ruling party chief and President Lee's in-camp
political rival.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)