Sejong City
Encyclopedia
In early 2007, the Government of Republic of Korea decided to create a special administrative district housing nine ministries and four national agencies currently located in Seoul
out of part of the present Chungcheongnam-do
province, near Daejeon
. The new district will be named Sejong Special Autonomous City (세종특별자치시, 世宗特別自治市). The plan for creation of the city arose after the failure of former President Roh Moo-hyun
to relocate the national capital from Seoul to the region. The prospective city was named in honor of the Joseon Dynasty King Sejong the Great, the father of Korea's national alphabet
. The plan envisages a city with a population of around 500,000
Plans for the city have resulted in numerous disputes in the National Assembly
. In September 2009 Prime Minister
Chung Un-chan
opined that the plan to build Sejong as a national administrative center was "not an efficient policy when viewed from the eyes of an economist." (Chung would later further criticize Sejong City as pork barrel politics
, proposed "only in consideration of garnering more votes.") This led to more than a thousand senior scholars and politicians including three former prime ministers to call for a revision of the plan. Geum Chang-ho, a senior research fellow of the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration, noted that the original plan had drawn criticism that the city would have many of the ten thousand government employees separated from their families, which would remain in the Seoul area to take advantage of such amenities as perceived superior educational opportunities. As a result of the separations, Sejong would experience a toadstool effect, with bars, nightclubs etc. springing up virtually overnight. Therefore, the government has "been studying ways to make Sejong self-sufficient..." . The GNP plans to alleviate internal conflict and seek support from the Chungcheong region for the government's new plan to develop Sejong into a hub of education, science and business. A faction led by President Lee Myung-bak
's political rival Rep. Park Geun-hye within the GNP, all opposition parties and a majority of people in the Chungcheong region are against scrapping the original plan to relocate government ministries to Sejong in South Chungcheong Province.
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
out of part of the present Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
province, near Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...
. The new district will be named Sejong Special Autonomous City (세종특별자치시, 世宗特別自治市). The plan for creation of the city arose after the failure of former President Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
to relocate the national capital from Seoul to the region. The prospective city was named in honor of the Joseon Dynasty King Sejong the Great, the father of Korea's national alphabet
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
. The plan envisages a city with a population of around 500,000
Plans for the city have resulted in numerous disputes in the National Assembly
National Assembly of South Korea
The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea is a 299-member unicameral legislature. The latest general elections were held on April 9, 2008. Single-member constituencies comprise 245 of the National Assembly's seats, while the remaining 54 are allocated by proportional representation...
. In September 2009 Prime Minister
Prime Minister of South Korea
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea is appointed by the President with the National Assembly's approval. Unlike prime ministers in the parliamentary system, the Prime Minister of South Korea is not required to be a member of parliament....
Chung Un-chan
Chung Un-Chan
Chung Un-chan was the Prime Minister of South Korea . He was a professor of Seoul National University from 1978 to 2009, serving as the president of the university from July 2002 to July 2006 until he was designated to the Prime Minister. He acquired his Ph.D...
opined that the plan to build Sejong as a national administrative center was "not an efficient policy when viewed from the eyes of an economist." (Chung would later further criticize Sejong City as pork barrel politics
Pork barrel
Pork barrel is a derogatory term referring to appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district...
, proposed "only in consideration of garnering more votes.") This led to more than a thousand senior scholars and politicians including three former prime ministers to call for a revision of the plan. Geum Chang-ho, a senior research fellow of the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration, noted that the original plan had drawn criticism that the city would have many of the ten thousand government employees separated from their families, which would remain in the Seoul area to take advantage of such amenities as perceived superior educational opportunities. As a result of the separations, Sejong would experience a toadstool effect, with bars, nightclubs etc. springing up virtually overnight. Therefore, the government has "been studying ways to make Sejong self-sufficient..." . The GNP plans to alleviate internal conflict and seek support from the Chungcheong region for the government's new plan to develop Sejong into a hub of education, science and business. A faction led by President Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
's political rival Rep. Park Geun-hye within the GNP, all opposition parties and a majority of people in the Chungcheong region are against scrapping the original plan to relocate government ministries to Sejong in South Chungcheong Province.