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The city may also earn special designations and tax benefits.
November 24, 2009
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| A government committee yesterday unveiled a blueprint for alternative plans to develop the controversial Sejong City. The plans include relocating or attracting 22 research institutes and establishing foreign language high schools. The committee, consisting of experts from the private sector and three government bodies - the knowledge economy, education and culture ministries - agreed to focus on such themes as education, cutting-edge science, enterprise and eco-friendliness in the new city to be built in South Chungcheong. The tentative plans were released after a second general meeting presided over by Prime Minister Chung Un-chan. Under the blueprint, a total of 22 research institutes will move to the city - 16 originally planned with six newly added. Of those six, three will be foreign scientific research centers: the International Vaccine Institute, currently located at Seoul National University; the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, now at Pohang University of Science and Technology; and a new local facility for the Max Planck Society. The other three will be state-run think tanks: a second campus for the National Fusion Research Institute, the Korea Institute of R&DB Human Resources Development and a branch of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study. Companies set to move in will be advised to form a consortium and establish autonomous private high schools to educate children of employees. This type of school, to be launched nationwide next March, will pick students through a lottery system and emphasize specific subjects or fields. Tuition will be more expensive than ordinary high schools. The Education Ministry said it will also set up science high schools and art high schools, but plans for foreign language high schools and international schools have been delayed until early December, when the ministry intends to unveil reform measures in those categories. Following the announcement, Byun Chang-yoon, head of the ministry’s science and technology policy planning department, made it clear the ministry has no plans to relocate existing schools yet. The committee said it is also considering designating Sejong a “national industrial complex.” If it does, the city will be eligible for government subsidies for basic infrastructure and other benefits such as acquisition and registration tax breaks. Sejong was originally designed to accommodate nine government ministries and institutions as an administrative capital. If global enterprises specializing in eco-friendly technology and R&D centers move into the city, the government may make it a “foreign investment zone,” providing tax exemptions and other aid. Some local governments have concerns over the proposals to revamp the project. Incheon, for instance, says the outspoken support for Sejong will “directly affect” the future of Songdo and Cheongnam in its Incheon Free Economic Zone. Those districts also focus on education, science and enterprise. “I wouldn’t say business projects will exactly overlap between Incheon and Sejong but there is a high chance Sejong will make it difficult for us to lure foreign investors,” said an Incheon city official. The committee said it would keep Sejong from taking projects from other regions. The Knowledge Ministry said, “We will minimize the effect of specific enterprises relocating into Sejong,” and pledged to accommodate industries that have yet to be supported in other special zones, including fusion energy and green technologies. By Seo Ji-eun, Namkoong Wook [spring@joongang.co.kr] |
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