[Editorial] Constitutional Petition May Be Turning Point for Rational Discussion

Because a constitutional petition for the special law on capital relocation has been filed, the Constitutional Court will decide whether the process of the capital relocation was unconstitutional or not.

It is the Constitutional Court’s sacred duty to look into whether the special law on the capital relocation is against any Constitutional values or violates basic constitutional rights.

The constitutional court’s review and decision might bring a positive influence to the current national conflicts and controversies over the capital relocation and possibly help us to reach a consensus on the issue.

The capital relocation is a national policy project, which is not related to presidential confidence or resignation issues. The problem is that people are increasingly against the capital relocation right now.

However, the government and ruling party are confronting us with an unconvincing theory and are distorting the heart of the issue. They are making the accusation that the people who object to the capital relocation are the same people who tried to impeach the president, that they are trying it once again, and that those who have established power and wealth are trying to protect their own interests. This accusation only started after the public opinion reversed from favoring the relocation plan to objecting to it.

This stern reaction of the government and ruling party can only be seen as a part of a strategy based on political calculation to shut down any objecting opinions.

Even during the dark age of the martial law, opinions about the capital relocation were exchanged freely. Now, it seems like the clock is ticking in reverse.

The capital relocation project will consume an astronomically large amount of money and affect the taxation, property, welfare, and other various rights of the citizens of this country. This is a national project of great scale, and also one of long-term vision, looking far ahead into the future towards the post-unification era of Korea.

We do worry about the overcrowding of the metro Seoul area and feel the need to find a solution for it. At the same time, the various issues related to the relocation such as its budget, impact, and timing should be discussed thoroughly and carefully.

If any problem in the special law is spotted through the constitutional review, that can be amended in the National Assembly.

Let us hope the Constitution Court’s review creates a turning point where the current irrational confrontation turns into a valid discussion of the capital relocation.