Ruling party stresses national interest in revising Sejong City plan

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- The ruling party said Wednesday that the government's
plan to revise the Sejong City project should be carried out in a way that
conforms to the interests of the nation and the residents of the Chungcheong
region where the new urban center is to be built.

"The Sejong City plan must assist the people in South Chungcheong Province and be
in line with the direction of the country's future growth," the Grand National
Party's (GNP) special committee on overseeing the project said in a report.
The administration of former President Roh Moo-hyun decided to relocate a dozen
government ministries and agencies from Seoul to Sejong City, a new
administrative town under construction about 160 kilometers south of the capital,
by 2012 in order to promote balanced regional development. But the current
government is seeking to alter the project from an envisioned administrative city
to a "science-business hub," saying that relocating government ministries would
be tantamount to creating two capital cities in one country.
The 13-member committee chaired by Rep. Chung Eui-hwa issued the 412-page report
on the government's revision plan after conducting a two-month survey of experts
and people from around the country.
Prime Minister Chung Un-chan submitted a blueprint of the revised plan to
President Lee Myung-bak and is expected to announce the final plan early next
week if approved by the president.
The GNP committee, however, refrained from producing a unified view in the
report, saying that it has instead focused on channeling the opinions of people
mostly in the Chungcheong region to policymakers.
The report, in broad strokes, underscored that the project had to be decided in
the direction of minimizing social conflict and not colliding with the
government's key policy schemes centering around balanced national growth,
boosting national competitiveness and unification of the two Koreas.
Chairman Chung said that the report "includes a wide range of views, including
centrist opinions" and hoped that it would serve as a valuable tool for the
government to draw up a rational solution.
The chairman also noted that time is needed to alleviate conflicts surrounding
the plan.
"Time is required to alleviate the conflict (over the Sejong City plan). At the
same time the government's revision must be perfect... it would be unfortunate
for the nation if the amendment becomes a source for renewed dispute," Chung told
Yonhap News Agency.
The lawmaker also predicted that the government's proposal, expected to be
announced next Monday, will most likely have to be revised if it meets with
fierce opposition from those in the Chungcheong region.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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