President calls for caution in new town development

President Kim instructed a meeting of economy-related ministries on Monday to conduct a full review with the public's consent of the development of "new towns" such as Pan-gyo, Hwasong and Chonan. His order was understood as a reconsideration of the development projects.

The president expressed concerns that some people may object to the development of new towns and asked officials not to confuse the public.

Kim added that even if the new town development was proposed by the Korea National Land Development Research Institute, it would be a mistake to proceed without the people's agreement. "It is very dangerous for the institute to regard their new town proposal as decided on by the government," he said. "These kinds of things can cause chaos and may be criticized by the public."

Choi Young-Mook ymook@donga.com