Pro-Sejong Move for National Assembly Prevails, Opposition Prevails for Blue House and Seoul National University Relocation [Gallup]

Kim Tae-nyeon, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Woo Won-shik, Head of the Administrative Capital Completion Promotion Team, are attending the '1st Meeting of the Administrative Capital Completion Promotion Team' held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] A public opinion survey revealed that while there is a majority in favor of relocating the National Assembly to Sejong City in relation to the administrative capital relocation, there is a majority opposition to moving the Blue House and Seoul National University.

According to Gallup Korea, a survey conducted from the 28th to the 30th among 1,001 people aged 18 and older showed that 47% supported relocating the National Assembly to Sejong City, while 39% opposed it, the agency announced on the 31st. Compared to a similar survey seven years ago (support 35%, oppose 49%), the majority opinion has reversed.

On the other hand, regarding the relocation of the Blue House, 38% were in favor and 48% opposed. The relocation of Seoul National University to Sejong City had the highest rejection rate, with 30% in favor and 54% opposed.

When asked about the relocation of major government ministries to Sejong City since 2012, 55% responded that it was a "good move," while 22% said it was a "bad move." Considering that in April 2013, during the early stages of the ministries' relocation, 43% said it was a "good move" and 28% said it was a "bad move," it can be seen that positive views have increased. Those who viewed the relocation of major government ministries to Sejong City as a "good move" were most numerous in regions such as Gwangju-Jeolla and Daejeon-Sejong-Chungcheong, at around 70%.

In a survey on whether the nation's political and administrative center should be Seoul or Sejong City, 49% answered that it is better to "maintain the administrative capital in Seoul." Meanwhile, 42% responded that it is better to "relocate it to Sejong City." The "maintain Seoul" response was highest in Seoul (61%), while the "relocate to Sejong" response was highest in Gwangju-Jeolla (67%) and Daejeon-Sejong-Chungcheong (57%).

In a survey conducted in December 2003, support and opposition to relocating the administrative capital to the Chungcheong region (Sejong City relocation) were 44% and 43%, respectively. This shows that public opinion on the administrative capital relocation has always been closely divided and regionally polarized.

Meanwhile, in a survey on President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating, positive evaluations were 44% and negative evaluations were 45%. The positive rating dropped by 1 percentage point from the previous week, and the negative rating fell by 3 percentage points.

Party support was as follows: the Democratic Party of Korea 38%, United Future Party 20%, Justice Party 7%, People's Party 5%, and Open Democratic Party 3%.

This survey contacted 7,931 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, with a final 1,001 respondents completing the survey, recording a 13% response rate. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, refer to the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.