Four Candidate Areas Selected for the New Administrative Capital with Final Decision Due in August

The four areas that have been selected as candidates for the new administrative capital are Jincheon-gun, Eumsoeng-gun in Chungbuk and Cheonan-shi, Yeongi-gun, Gongju-shi (Jangi-myeon), and Gongju (Gyeryong-myeon), Nonsahn-shi in Chungnam.

After the evaluation process regarding the candidate areas, the scores for each city will be announced to the public early next month, and the final decision for the capital site will be made sometime in August.

In regard of the government’s tough decision on the administrative capital relocation plan, the controversy over the issue will likely swirl further since there are many opposing views saying that the whole relocation plan should be reconsidered.

The New Administrative Capital Building Promotion Committee held its third meeting at the Central Government Complex on June 15 and announced the candidate areas for the new administrative capital and its plans to prevent real estate speculation in the areas. The four candidates are: Emseong Jinchoen; Cheonan; Yeongi Gongju; Gongju Nonsahn. One is located in Chungbuk province and the other three in Chungnam province.

The committee explained that “the four candidate areas are those with elements of equitable development and development possibilities, the characteristics that we set as standards when selecting the areas,” adding, “Each area can accommodate a population of 500,000 with its size around 23 million pyong.”

The committee also declared policies to prevent real estate speculation in the areas. First, construction permits and various development activities will be limited until the end of this year in the green zone of the four areas and the surrounding areas of five towns, 38 townships, and 13 counties including Geumwang-eup, Eumseong-gun. Also, two towns, 21 townships, and 11 counties, including Mokchon-eup, Cheonan-shi, Sojung-myon, Yeongi-gun, and Ohchang-myong, Cheongwon-gun, will be designated as special land-market case zones. The designated areas recorded record-high land price increase rates, surpassing the national average increase in real estate prices by more than 30 percent in the first quarter (from January to March) of this year.

Lee Choon-hee, vice chairman of the New Administrative Capital Building Promotion Group, said, “The legislation and the judiciary will decide on the relocation by themselves, but the government is hoping that both of them will relocate,” adding, “The candidate areas were selected under the assumption that these institutions will move to the new area.”

Meanwhile, it was pointed out that the government is trying to stabilize the relocation plan by announcing the candidate areas in the midst of the controversy over the plan.

“The relocation has started out of political purposes,” said Professor Choi Mak-joong of Urban Planning at Seoul National University. “We need to gather a sufficient amount of public debate, not settle the issue hastily.”