[In-Depth Look] The Key to Success of the Megacity Strategy to Prevent South Korea's Disappearance

In South Korea, the concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, is particularly severe. Out of a population of 50 million, 25 million, or half, live in the metropolitan area. With such a high population density, there are many serious problems. For example, as of 2020, the nationwide housing supply rate was 103%, but Seoul was at 94.9%, Gyeonggi at 100%, and Incheon at 98%, all below the national average. Commuting in downtown Seoul is plagued by traffic congestion, and the cost and time spent commuting from Gyeonggi and Incheon to Seoul are considerable. Living expenses, including housing costs, are also high, leading to significant living costs.

Nevertheless, it is clear that a major reason people flock to Seoul and the metropolitan area is the many cultural and economic opportunities available, such as the presence of key constitutional institutions like the National Assembly, executive departments, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Court, as well as headquarters of major corporations, and access to educational opportunities aligned with the current entrance examination system that people desire. However, the declining quality of life in the metropolitan area and the unsustainability of its functions, along with the shrinking of local regions to the point where the term "regional extinction" is used despite their pleasant living environments, pose significant problems. It is difficult to discuss the future of South Korea without addressing these issues.

The mega-city strategy aims to create massive new cities in local regions to disperse the population and resources of the metropolitan area and promote balanced development. There seems to be broad agreement on creating mega-cities as a way for both the metropolitan area and local regions to thrive. A mega-city refers to a city with a population of 10 million, including the surrounding living area cities. The specific methods of where and how to build these mega-cities vary somewhat. Considering the maximization of the metropolitan population dispersion effect and South Korea’s population size and national land environment, it seems appropriate to create one mega-city each in Yeongnam and Honam to form a single belt. Each mega-city would consist of core cities with populations between 500,000 and 1 million, connected by a separately established transportation network. The key structure is to combine multiple cities rather than a single city. The core cities form a network with surrounding cities, so from a distance, it looks like one large city, but up close, it is 5 to 10 large and small cities linked into one living area through an efficient transportation network.

More important than the physical structure of the mega-city is whether the services it provides to people are attractive. Above all, the younger generation must be able to move out of the metropolitan area and migrate to these mega-cities. Housing must be stable, and campuses of domestic and international prestigious universities that they prefer should be attracted so that there is no shortage of educational opportunities. Employment and startup opportunities must be abundant, financial supply smooth, and cultural and artistic activities self-sustaining. For the younger generation to look away from the metropolitan area and head to local mega-cities with hope, better living environments and opportunities than the metropolitan area must be provided. To this end, a high degree of autonomy must be guaranteed to mega-cities legally and institutionally.

Under current legislation, local governments are, to say the least, tied to the central government. Although the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Act and Sejong Special Self-Governing City Act recognize considerable exceptions, they are insufficient. For mega-cities to succeed, except for national defense and diplomacy, a high degree of autonomy must be granted so that members of the mega-city can autonomously design and operate all areas including social, cultural, educational, and economic fields such as the university entrance system, housing and real estate supply methods, and guarantees for industrial experiments by innovative companies. To enable autonomous operation of mega-cities, tax collection authority must also be fully transferred. This approach should be taken with the perspective of establishing a small country like Singapore within South Korea.

Meanwhile, each city constituting the mega-city needs to operate autonomously while maintaining its own characteristics. Within one mega-city, university cities centered around universities, entrepreneur cities for startups, and cultural and artistic cities for artists should be organically connected to create a synergistic effect. Historic university towns in Europe, entrepreneur cities like Silicon Valley in the United States, Shenzhen’s transformation into a high-tech city through bold decisions during China’s early reform and opening-up, and Malm? in Sweden’s transition from a shipbuilding city to a new smart city after the shipbuilding downturn are familiar examples.

To prevent South Korea’s extinction and create new growth engines, the mega-city strategy is urgent, and the key to its success is whether young generations feel that these places are attractive enough to migrate there as lands of opportunity.

Baek Ju-seon, Representative Attorney, Law Firm Yungpyeong