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November 10, 2009
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| The Lee Myung-bak administration will speed creation of an alternate road map for the troubled Sejong City development program by the end of this month, a senior government official told the JoongAng Ilbo yesterday. “Grand National Party Chairman Chung Mong-joon, Prime Minister Chung Un-chan and Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Chung-kil and other key officials met Sunday night and agreed to expedite the efforts,” said the official. “The general framework of the plan will be announced by the Prime Minister’s Office during this month, and the final revised plan will be officially announced no later than December.” After Prime Minister Chung and President Lee met Wednesday to discuss the issue, the administration has said its new road map will be completed by January. The new time line advances that by a month. “Whenever specifics on development programs are reported to the advisory council of the Prime Minister’s Office, the administration will make the plans public,” the source said. A Blue House official explained that the time line was advanced to reduce the widening controversy surrounding Sejong City. “By announcing the plan earlier, we will be able to persuade the Chungcheong residents faster, and political disputes can be minimized,” he said. While the initial Sejong City project was designed as an administrative hub in South Chungcheong, the Lee administration has argued that the plan should be revised in order to develop a self-sufficient city. Rather than relocating government offices, officials are considering developing the area into a business and industrial center. “More than three or four companies are planning to relocate to Sejong City,” Kwon Tae-shin, minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, said yesterday in an interview with CBS radio. “A foreign company is also showing some interest.” Kwon said Sejong City will function properly on its own only after companies relocate, jobs are created and economic activities grow. “To encourage companies to relocate, they need to be able to purchase land at low prices,” Kwon said. He said the Korea Land and Housing Corporation should consider ways to make that happen. Kwon also said the government will support Seoul National University if it wishes to open up an engineering school campus in Sejong City, as reported by some media. While the administration speeds up finalization of the new development program, the rift inside the Grand National Party deepens. Park Geun-hye, the ruling party’s former chairwoman, made clear her unwillingness to cooperate with the party and the administration’s move to revise the plan. Asked if GNP lawmakers loyal to her will join the party’s special committee on the project, Park said, “This is not something I want to talk about. It’s something that the party will decide.” GNP Chairman Chung Mong-joon proposed to President Lee Myung-bak last week the formation of the special committee. At a party leadership meeting on Sunday, Chung Ui-hwa, a four-term lawmaker, was appointed to head the committee, scheduled to launch this week. Conspicuously missing from the discussion to revise the Sejong City plan were pro-Park lawmakers, including Huh Tae-yeol, a member of the GNP supreme council. While the administration and pro-Lee lawmakers sought alternate ways to support Sejong City other than relocating government offices, Park and her supporters insisted that the initial plan of building an administrative hub be kept. Park yesterday did not hide her displeasure toward GNP Chairman Chung, complaining that her position toward Sejong City was distorted when her earlier conversation with Chung was reported by media. “Chung telephoned me and talked about the special task force [on Sejong City], so I told him that it is not a matter to be discussed with me,” Park said. “But I was later quoted incorrectly by the media.” Park said she complained to Chung yesterday morning. “I told him I am afraid to have a telephone conversation with him.” By Seo Seung-wook, Ser Myo-ja [myoja@joongang.co.kr] |
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