Lee calls for GNP unity over Sejong

President Lee Myung-bak yesterday called on the ruling Grand National Party to unite in efforts to resolve the Sejong City conundrum that is distracting the political community from other crucial national agenda.

During a meeting with party leaders including Chairman Chung Mong-joon, Lee expressed regret about simmering national divisions over the issue, even within the GNP.

"It hurts my heart to see social conflicts rising over pending issues, especially Sejong City and the four-river revival project," Lee was quoted as saying by GNP spokeswoman Cho Yoon-sun.

The government is seeking to cancel the 2005 plan to relocate two-thirds of ministries to the city in South Chungcheong Province and is instead pushing to develop it into a city focusing on science, education and business.



"The government is speeding up work and I hope the government and the ruling party will cooperate to map out alternative plans and that the party will maintain a united stand," he said.

Park Geun-hye, Lee`s archrival in the GNP, advocates the original administrative city plan, which the former liberal government led and the GNP endorsed in 2005 ahead of key local elections. Lee himself promised to carry out the plan during the 2007 presidential campaign.

Cooperation from Park and some 60 GNP lawmakers in her faction is required for any change of the plan. In alliance parties, they can foil the government`s proposal in the National Assembly.

In a televised town hall meeting on Friday, Lee apologized for having advocated the Sejong plan two years ago and causing confusion with his reversal. But he reaffirmed that the original plan will be a disaster both for the entire nation and the region.

The GNP says public opinion is turning more favorable to the government after his TV appearance.

Lee`s apology set the stage for a combined move by the ruling camp to persuade political circles and the public.

Lee will visit southern provincial cities this week and the government and ruling party plan to hold a series of meetings to rally support for revising the Sejong plan.

Lee will also meet Park today during a dinner for Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom. Park visited the nation as Lee`s special envoy earlier this year.

Opposition parties are stepping up their struggles against Lee`s plan.

The Democratic Party and the Chungcheong-based Liberty Forward Party will stage large-scale rallies in cities in the region beginning this week.

DP leader Chung Se-kyun and LFP leader Lee Hoi-chang are likely to meet soon to coordinate their joint efforts, party officials said.

The fight over Sejong is stalling parliamentary reviews of budget, labor and other bills.

Lee called on the GNP to move ahead policies to tackle the economic crisis.

"The economic problems are far from being fully fixed and the global economy is still unstable," he said expressing concern about fallout from the Dubai financial crisis.

He urged the GNP to try to pass the 290 trillion won ($251 billion) budget for 2010 to boost the economy, create jobs and enhance welfare for low-income citizens.

Lee also asked for its cooperation in preparing for a Group 20 summit in November 2010. He said the world`s 400 largest businesses will be invited to Seoul in events related to the summit.

(jjhwang@heraldm.com)

By Hwang Jang-jin