Special Act Outlines Institutions to Be Relocated, Including the National Assembly and Presidential Office, and Implementation Plans
"Some Opposition Politicians Frame the Relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries as Dismantling the Administrative Capital and Politicize the Issue"
Chungnam and Chungbuk Provincial Councils Adopt Resolution Opposing the Relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan
Democratic Party lawmaker Junhyun Kang holding a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 24th. / Photo by Office of Junhyun Kang
Amid intensifying conflict between the ruling and opposition parties over the proposed relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan, ruling party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region are jointly introducing a "Special Administrative Capital Act" to move the Presidential Office and the National Assembly to Sejong.
On the 24th, Democratic Party lawmakers representing Chungcheong, Daejeon, and Sejong issued a statement saying, "We will clearly define the completion of the administrative capital, as promised by President Lee Jaemyung's government of popular sovereignty, as a national strategy and introduce the 'Special Measures Act for the Establishment of the Administrative Capital' to support this goal."
They stated, "Recently, a variety of concerns have been raised in the Chungcheong region regarding the proposed relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan," and added, "We express deep concern over attempts by some opposition politicians to frame this as the dismantling of the administrative capital and to turn it into a political dispute."
They continued, "Balanced national development is a core policy strategy of President Lee Jaemyung, aimed at transforming the Seoul metropolitan area-centered administrative and industrial structure into a multi-polar system. Under the national vision of a 'five poles, three special zones' system, the core is to disperse the authority and functions concentrated in the Seoul area and to establish a foundation for autonomous regional growth, through a strategic restructuring of the country that links the characteristics and functions of each region."
They emphasized, "To realize the original intent of balanced development, the national project of completing the administrative capital must proceed without wavering. The Chungcheong region has played a leading role as a key area in decentralizing core administrative functions and experimenting with relocating the capital of the Republic of Korea."
The Special Administrative Capital Act stipulates which institutions are to be relocated, including the National Assembly building, the Presidential Office, and central administrative agencies, and includes implementation plans for relocating the Presidential Office and the National Assembly.
The Democratic Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region stressed, "Currently, the Presidential Office and the National Assembly are being promoted as branch offices. Legal grounds have been established through amendments to the Special Act on Multifunctional Administrative City and the National Assembly Act, and budgets have been secured, so the projects are now in full progress."
They further explained, "The Presidential Office relocation project has a total budget of approximately 384.6 billion won, with completion targeted for 2029, and an international integrated design competition is scheduled for the second half of 2025. As for the National Assembly building, the total project budget is under discussion, with a design competition planned for December 2025 and the selection of the winning design set for May 2026."
The Democratic Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region said, "This law is both a political action to realize President Lee Jaemyung's core pledge and a legislative manifestation of the Democratic Party's vision for balanced development. The completion of the administrative capital is a state philosophy inherited from the Roh Moo-hyun administration by the Lee Jaemyung government, and is a national task to correct the capital structure."
They pledged, "Democratic Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region will meet the expectations of the people by ensuring the prompt passage of the Special Measures Act for the Establishment of the Administrative Capital in the National Assembly."
Chungnam Provincial Council adopted the "Resolution Opposing the Relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan" at the second plenary session on the 24th, urging the ministry to remain in Sejong City. /Chungnam Provincial Council
Meanwhile, on the same day, both the Chungnam Provincial Council and the Chungbuk Provincial Council adopted the "Resolution Opposing the Relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan" at the second plenary session of their 426th regular meetings.
In the Chungnam Provincial Council vote, among the 41 members present, 31 voted in favor, 5 opposed, and 5 abstained. The votes in favor came from People Power Party members, while the opposition and abstention votes were cast by Democratic Party members.
Jung Kwangsub, who led the proposal in the Chungnam Provincial Council, argued, "The President's order to relocate the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan not only undermines the foundation of the national administrative system, but also directly contradicts the cause of completing the administrative capital and balanced national development, which the Chungcheong region has consistently pursued for decades."
Earlier, on the 23rd, People Power Party lawmakers and party chapter heads from the Chungcheong region visited the National Assembly in Yeouido and strongly criticized the relocation, calling it "an act of betrayal against the people of Chungcheong."
The People Power Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region stated, "We will wait for an official response from Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoonshik, Democratic Party lawmakers from the Chungcheong region, local government heads, and party chapter heads, together with the people of Chungcheong."
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