[Editorial] Irresponsible `New City- Plan`

The government once again announced an enormous new city plan, but there is more disappointment than expectations. It says it will start building a 500,000- population Asan new city near the Chunan station of the Kyungbu high- speed railways, but it did not even present the financial supply measures or promotion schedules. Thus, it is questionable whether the construction will be completed according to the plan, because it might just be another `announcement for publicity` before the upcoming election.

The plan is `re- adapted` from the one announced 8 years ago. Ministry of Construction and Transportation back then pushed the plan to construct a new city in the scope of 10 million Pyeong (33 million square meters) by the year 2000. However, only the plan was modified without actually accomplishing the objective. Hence, the people are skeptical about the possibility that the plan will materialize now.

The new city must be self-sufficient of not only in terms of basic convenience facilities, but also in terms of education and culture. It is an irresponsible administrative action to announce of the new city’s construction without thorough consultation with related institutions simply because there are not enough residences.

I would like to raise a question about whether there were other motives as the government hurriedly announced the new city plan, including the governmental institutions, large corporations, and universities being moved as well. There is hardly any persuasiveness in the explanation that the development is to meet the timing of the high-speed railways opening, which is scheduled for April, 2004. Another doubt arises in the plan to adjust the Seoul–Chunan commuter fare for regular travelers at 150,000 won per month.

The government must acknowledge that Asan New City plan, which can be an effective substitute measure for the metropolis dispersion, may end up being an unreliable development instead. We have seen the aggravation of the environment and traffic and the consequent suffering of residents caused by the series of past new city developments.

So far, the government announced several development plans in Pangyo, Osan, and Hwasung, but they were makeshift measures that were often called off later.

For the government not to repeat previous errors, it must seek detailed and thorough measures without being hasty.