"Political Circles and the New Government Should Respond
by Promptly Enacting the Special Act"
Sejong Mayor Choi Minho held a press briefing on the 11th and expressed gratitude for the adoption of a resolution urging the enactment of the Special Act on the Administrative Capital by the Chungnam Provincial Council.
Sejong Mayor Choi Minho expressed his gratitude on the 11th for the adoption of the "Resolution Urging the Enactment of the Special Act on the Administrative Capital" by the Chungnam Provincial Council on the 10th.
The Chungnam Provincial Council adopted the resolution calling for the enactment of the Special Act on the Administrative Capital for balanced national development and the realization of local autonomy on the 10th. The resolution was jointly proposed by 17 council members, including Councilor Cho Cheolgi of the Democratic Party of Korea.
At a press briefing on the 11th, Mayor Choi stated, "I deeply appreciate the Chungnam Provincial Council's thoughtful consideration and efforts to provide alternatives for balanced national development and alleviating the overconcentration in the Seoul metropolitan area." He added, "This resolution is significant in that it seeks to achieve balanced national development and resolve the issue of concentration in the capital region through the relocation of the administrative capital."
He also agreed with the view that the construction of the Multifunctional Administrative City alone has not been sufficient to disperse the population from the capital region, and that the completion of the administrative capital is essential to address the excessive concentration in the metropolitan area and the risk of local extinction.
Mayor Choi emphasized, "This resolution is also meaningful in that it presents the enactment of a special law as a practical alternative to overcome the 2004 Constitutional Court ruling of unconstitutionality. The Chungnam Provincial Council has proposed a realistic approach of promoting the relocation of the capital through legislation in a situation where constitutional amendment is difficult. If the special act is enacted as proposed, it could lead to a new substantive judgment by the Constitutional Court."
Mayor Choi also noted that since provincial council members from the Democratic Party of Korea participated as joint proposers of the resolution, it is now clear that the completion of the administrative capital is a national, bipartisan, and timely demand.
Mayor Choi said, "During the last presidential election, candidates from both ruling and opposition parties agreed on the completion of the administrative capital and made it a campaign pledge for these reasons. Now, I urge the political community and the new government to respond by promptly enacting the special act for the completion of the administrative capital and by preparing policies for balanced regional development."
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