Prime minister hopeful about revised plan for Sejong City

By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Yonhap) -- The prime minister said Thursday he is hopeful that
the government will draw public support for a revision to a plan to move some key
government offices out of the capital.

In an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency, Prime Minister Chung Un-chan
also stressed the need to restrict private education and introduce profit-driven
"corporate hospitals" in a gradual manner.
??? Sejong City = "I hope the government will get consent from the residents of
the Chungcheong area if it comes up with a really good plan that is sincere,"
Chung said. "I believe the revision is currently gaining national support."
As part of his 2002 campaign pledge, former President Roh Moo-hyun, whose term
expired in early 2008, decided to move nine ministries and four subsidiary
agencies out of Seoul to a new city to be built in the central part of the
country by 2012.
The construction of Sejong City in South Chungcheong Province is now about 40
percent complete, but doubts have arisen over the viability of the project.
Opponents criticize it as politically motivated, while supporters defend it as
aiding balanced national development.
The divisive issue was brought out into open discussion in September when Chung
formally proposed a revision of the plan, arguing that otherwise it would be
tantamount to creating two capital cities in one country.
The Lee Myung-bak administration aims to turn Sejong into a mix between an
"economic hub" and "science mecca" instead of an administrative town, but has yet
to finalize the alternative plan.
The prime minister also showed confidence when asked how he would persuade some
ruling party lawmakers who oppose the revision. "I think those lawmakers are the
same in their love for the Chungcheong region and the state but have slightly
different thoughts and views," he said. "I would say that I want to be judged by
the revised plan."
??? Education = Touching on education, the former Seoul National University
economics professor said that South Korea should cultivate more creative human
resources armed with advanced technology if it is to achieve steady economic
growth.
Towards the larger goal of pursuing "creative education," the government should
restrict private tutoring and improve the quality of public education, he said.
Encouraging competition among teachers could also be a way to help reduce
parents' massive spending on private education, he added.
??? Corporate Hospitals = On the issue of profit-driven hospitals, the prime
minister said such institutions should be introduced in a step-by-step manner
starting in specific regions, such as the Jeju Special Self-governing Province or
one of the several special economic zones.
There is much controversy over whether to allow corporations to open hospitals.
Current law permits only medical doctors to establish hospitals, but the finance
ministry has been pushing to change that, claiming corporate hospitals would
significantly improve the quality of health care and create more new jobs.
The welfare ministry, however, has expressed total opposition, saying such
hospitals would lead to a rise in medical costs and, as a result, raise barriers
to the general public in accessing quality medical services.
??? National Image = The prime minister also called for more efforts to improve
South Korea's image internationally. Acknowledging its relatively weak brand
power despite its status as the world's ninth largest exporter, an aid donor and
the host of G20 summit next year, Chung said South Korea should build up its
"social capital."
Social capital is a sociological concept generally used in business, economics,
the social sciences and other academic fields to refer to the stocks of social
trust, norms and networks that people can draw upon to solve common problems.
??? Others = Questioned about his aims for 2010, Chung said he wants to focus on
reforming public education, encouraging couples to have children, and narrowing
the gap between the rich and the poor.
South Korea has the world's lowest birthrate with the average number of children
born to a woman over her lifetime at just 1.08. A critical challenge in resolving
the problem is changing the patriarchal culture of Korean society, rather than
just providing cash incentives to mothers, Chung stressed.
The government should take all measures necessary to help working mothers do well
both at work and at home, he said.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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