Government Organization Movement Plan Will Be Decided within This Year

President Roh Moo-hyun on Thursday announced plans to transfer much of the central government`s financial accountability and authority to local governments by enacting three special laws this year: the special law on the balanced development of the nation, the special law on the new administrative capital, and the special law on localization.

During a visit to the headquarters of Daegu Technopark on that day, the President presided over a planning meeting regarding the development of local industries for autonomous local governments. At the meeting, he announced his "Vision for Daegu to Achieve Balanced National Development," which includes the introduction of three special bills during the National Assembly sessions in September.

According to Mr. Roh`s vision for balanced national development, 245 government-affiliated organizations and government-funded organizations will announce the first plan for movement out of the capital area by the end of this year and the second comprehensive plan by 2004. Therefore, many such organizations, located in the capital area, are likely to move.

The government will also create "special accounts for balanced national development" in the government budget and if the local government establishes its own comprehensive development plan, it will receive financial support from these accounts. The proportion of support to local areas in the budget for national R&D will increase from the current 20% to 40% by 2007. This was decided so that the development of local universities could be extended.

In addition, the government will ease one or two regulations considered stumbling blocks to local development and set up a five-year plan to balance the national development after reviewing each region`s development plans by year`s end.

Special measures for the development of backward regions will also be devised to alleviate development differentials among regions after surveys of such regions are conducted by the end of the year.

At the meeting in Daegu, the President said: "The current regional disparity is a result of disproportionate economic growth during the past five decades. It will take at least 20 to 30 years to correct this disparity among provinces. Though it is difficult to solve these problems completely in my five-year term of office, I will try to turn unbalanced growth strategies into balanced economic growth strategies by approaching this at the national level."

The President also ordered the Minister of Planning and Budget, Park Bong-heum, to review what R&D projects can be allocated to local universities and to report the results to him.

Jeong-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com