Seoul Metropolitan Council to Hold a Campaign to Stop Capital Relocation on June 29

Provincial governments including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province began to show their opposition to building a new administrative capital earnestly.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council on June 15 revealed its plan to launch a campaign to revoke the government’s relocation plan in collaboration with a non-governmental organization, People’s Alliance for Opposition to the Capital Relocation, scholars, and judicial officers.

The council also is planning to hold an “Indignation Meeting for Stopping the Capital Relocation” at the square in front of the Seoul City Hall on June 29 with about 30,000 citizens attending. In addition, on July 10, 100 personnel from both the People’s Alliance and legal circles will file a joint petition with the Constitutional Court against the Act on Special Measures for Construction of the New Administrative Capital.

The chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, Lim Dong-kyu, stated, “We will let every citizen know that the moving of the capital is wrongful not only through the campaign but also through newspaper advertisements."

In a similar attempt, Gyeonggi province and its provincial council also gave voice to their opposition on the issue. According to the statement released by the provincial government on the same day, it said, “The relocation project now underway is not just about moving some of the administrative offices. It’s about transferring the center of politics and administration of the nation including the Constitutional and Supreme Courts.” It added, “If the relocation of the capital is inevitable, we need to go through due formalities by asking the public for its approval on the matter.”

In a separate statement, the Gyeonggi Provincial Council also argued, “Korea has suffered from a sluggish economy and now faces security issues such as major U.S. troop pullout and the realignment of its forces. It is a time to unite not to divide.” The council insisted, “The government should urgently scrap the relocation project that would spend huge financial resources and cause national division.”

Tae-Hun Hwang Kyung-Hyun Nam beetlez@donga.com bibulus@donga.com