"President Lee's Pledge for Balanced National Development and Completion of the Administrative Capital Is Contradicted"
"Need to Minimize Side Effects Such as Relocation Costs and Damage to Administrative Efficiency"
Minho Choi, Mayor of Sejong City, held a press conference on the 9th and officially requested the withdrawal of President Jae Myung Lee's recent directive at the Cabinet meeting regarding the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan. / Photo by Sejong City Provided
Minho Choi, Mayor of Sejong City, has requested the withdrawal of President Jae Myung Lee's directive at the Cabinet meeting to relocate the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, currently located in Sejong, to Busan.
He cited several reasons for his request: the directive contradicts President Lee's pledges for balanced national development and the completion of the administrative capital, and it could cause side effects such as relocation costs and diminished administrative efficiency. He also presented a roadmap for relocating the presidential office to Sejong.
At a press conference on the 9th, Mayor Choi stated, "At the Cabinet meeting on the 5th, President Lee issued a directive for the prompt relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan during the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s business report. The Ministry's presence in Sejong was a decision made for the century-long future of the Republic of Korea, and I strongly request that the directive be withdrawn."
He continued, "Even when the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan was discussed several times in the past, it was ultimately decided to place it in Sejong after careful consideration. This was not a regional issue between Busan and Sejong, but a rational choice made at the national level, taking into account balanced national development and administrative efficiency." He thus challenged President Lee's directive.
Mayor Choi added, "It is difficult to accept the directive for the prompt relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, which was issued just two days after the election without sufficient follow-up review. The relocation is not a simple matter of moving one government ministry from Sejong to Busan. It is an issue that requires comprehensive and multifaceted preliminary review and measures to be taken in parallel."
He pointed out that the following issues must be reviewed: the problem of organic policy coordination among government agencies dispersed across Seoul, Sejong, and Busan; the costs and administrative efficiency issues arising from the relocation; the convenience of shipping and fisheries-related civil petitioners; fairness among other coastal regions; and the housing and living conditions of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officials.
Mayor Choi also mentioned that President Lee must carefully consider the potential conflict with the national goal of completing Sejong as the administrative capital, a point the President emphasized throughout the election. He argued that, as the relocation of the National Assembly and the presidential office to Sejong is currently being pursued to enhance administrative efficiency and balanced national development, relocating the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan runs counter to this trend and therefore requires more cautious review.
In particular, he requested that President Lee, as someone who has emphasized balanced development, clarify what supplementary measures he has for the considerable disappointment felt by Sejong citizens, and clearly state his willingness to join in withdrawing the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan in accordance with the wishes of the citizens.
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