Mayor Choi Minho of Sejong Actively Welcomes First Official Mention at the National Assembly
Sejong City issued a commentary on October 13, actively welcoming, together with its 400,000 citizens, the initiation of discussions regarding the potential relocation of the Supreme Court to Sejong. This followed the suggestion made during the National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
On this day, Assemblyman Jeon Yonggi emphasized that building a new Supreme Court building in Seoul to accommodate additional judges would cost over 1 trillion won, arguing that discussions about relocating the Supreme Court to Sejong should take precedence.
In response to Assemblyman Jeon's remarks, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoonduk stated, "If the law is amended, we will actively cooperate with the relocation of the Supreme Court to Sejong," while Kang Juyeop, head of the National Agency for Administrative City Construction, added, "Implementation can begin immediately." Sejong City interpreted these responses as active support for the proposal.
The city believes that relocating the Supreme Court to Sejong is an excellent plan with both political and economic validity.
In particular, if the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority, moves to Sejong, the geographic center of the country, it would not only address the structural problem of excessive concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, but also become a true symbol of balanced national development.
The city further projected that, if the Supreme Court is relocated to Sejong, the city would firmly establish itself as the nation’s political, administrative, and judicial center. Most government ministries are already based in Sejong, and both the National Assembly Sejong Branch and the Presidential Sejong Office are scheduled to be established there.
Additionally, relocating the Supreme Court to Sejong is seen as a practical alternative to avoid excessive fiscal expenditure. While purchasing land for a new Supreme Court building in Seoul would cost 1.08 trillion won, the same amount of land in Sejong could be acquired for just one-twentieth of that price.
Therefore, the city analyzed that saving on land acquisition costs and redirecting those funds to public welfare and the local economy would be a significant national benefit. As the National Assembly has already begun discussions on amending the Court Organization Act to remove Article 12, which stipulates that the Supreme Court must be located in Seoul, the city expressed hope that the debate over relocating the Supreme Court to Sejong will not remain a one-off or temporary issue. They called on both the political community and the judiciary to continue the discussion with sincerity.
The city also stated that, along with the relocation of the Supreme Court, active discussions should be held on moving the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to Sejong in order to enhance the efficiency of judicial administration.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
