Lee calls for Sejong plan revision

President Lee Myung-bak yesterday strongly signaled his opposition to a controversial plan to build a new administrative city outside Seoul.

He ordered Prime Minister Chung Un-chan to map out an alternative plan that considers efficiency and national interests more than anything else.

Subsequently, Chung made it official that the government will amend the Sejong City plan despite resistance from opposition parties and local residents.

A new proposal will be ready by January, he told reporters.

The opposition Democratic Party and Liberty Forward Party vowed full-fledged struggles against changing the original plan. They denounced Lee for attempting to scuttle balanced regional development and reneging on his promise to the people.

The prime minister briefed the president on the government`s plans to address the issue.

"The alternative plan for Sejong City should be one that is more advanced and beneficial in terms of efficacy than the original," Lee was quoted as telling Chung by his public relations chief Lee Dong-kwan.



The current plan, endorsed by the National Assembly in 2005, calls for the relocation of nine ministries and four agencies, along with a number of public organizations, to the new city in South Chungcheong Province by 2014.

The nation is sharply divided over the plan. Chung and the ruling Grand National Party seek a revision, citing the possible damage the relocation may do on government efficiency and the lack of measures taken to ensure its self-sufficiency.

Opposition parties and some dissenters in the GNP demand that the government proceed with the original plan.

In the meeting with the prime minister, Lee extended his support for the revisionists` arguments.

Lee said the alternative plan should be determined in consideration of three factors - "national competitiveness, the nation`s future after reunification (with North Korea) and the development of the region involved."

Lee told the prime minister to finalize a new plan by January, according to the press secretary.

If completed by then, the revision will likely be submitted to the National Assembly for approval in February.

Lee said he will also unveil his position to the public at the appropriate time.

After the meeting, Chung told reporters that the government will launch special bodies to handle the issue next week.

A 25-member committee including eight ministers and 15 prominent civilians will be inaugurated.

It will be chaired by the prime minister and some opponents to the proposed amendment will also be invited to the panel, he said.

The committee will be supported by two government taskforces.

"With the current plan, it is impossible for Sejong City to develop into a self-sustaining city with a population of 500,000 (as targeted by the plan)," he said in the news conference.

"The plan will cause administrative inefficiency and the people will suffer from the consequences."

The Prime Minister`s Office is studying alternative plans, including a corporate city model centering on high-tech industries, research and education.

The government is also considering an option to locate an international science and business center, one of Lee`s key campaign pledges, in the city.

Chung met several chiefs of companies, universities, research centers and hospitals to persuade them to move to the new city, sources said. Some have already promised to build facilities there, officials said.

The prime minister is expected to elaborate on the government plans during a parliamentary policy debate beginning today.

Lee on Monday called on the government and ruling party to expedite efforts to resolve the issue.

During a meeting with GNP leader Chung Mong-joon, he demanded that the party collect public opinion to help the government make a decision promptly.

The GNP backed the Sejong City law in 2005 ahead of crucial local elections. Lee committed to the plan during his 2007 presidential campaign.

(jjhwang@heraldm.com)



By Hwang Jang-jin