Some in Ruling Party Push for Substantial Reform of National Administrative Management

The ruling party has strongly voiced its intention to accept the Constitutional Court’s decision on Special Law on New Administrative Capital Construction and largely reform the keynote for national administrative management.

Lawmaker Jung Jang-sun, Chief of Staff of the Office of Secretaries to ruling Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-Young, said on his website on October 23, “Now we have to respond to the Constitutional Court’s decision calmly and draw national, general opinions in order to prepare for a settlement. In addition, using this as momentum, it is necessary for the ruling party to examine the overall national administrative management situation.”

Rep. Jung also said that “given this opportunity, the ruling party should reconsider the overall national administrative management situation and check on it in its entirety. It should apologize to the people and concentrate on the following measures in order to achieve a new unification of the people instead of confusion.”

Rep. Jung implied in a phone interview with a Dong-A Ilbo reporter on October 24 that he is considering declining the party’s position, saying that “I will talk about it later,” in response to the question: Are you considering declining the party’s position?”

There is a possibility of an increase in power conflicts between the progressive group within the party opposed to the Constitutional Court’s decision and the conservative group, who has professed pragmatism, since the lawmakers of the “Lawmakers’ gathering for stabilized reform” group within the party, which has prudently stood against the party’s policy of the abolition of the National Security Law, is apparently acting in concert with Rep. Jung’s demand for the reform of national administrative management.

Ahn Young-geun, a member of the “Lawmakers’ gathering for the stabilized reform” group and head of the Uri Party`s policy coordination committee, expressed opposition to his party’s position on the abolition of the National Security Law, saying, “I agree with Rep. Jung on raising the question.”

A re-elected lawmaker of the party said anonymously that “it is necessary to pay attention to the background of the decision of the Constitutional Court that was made by eight judges of the Constitutional Court and to the trend of public sentiment. We have to re-examine the overall keynote of national administrative management. I will also propose it.”

Meanwhile, it is reported that the government and the Uri Party are considering a plan to transfer all central administrative organizations except the National Assembly and Cheong Wa Dae by constructing an administrative city in the form of a second special city in the Chungcheong area as an alternative to the original capital relocation plan.

Young-Chan Yoon Jung-Hun Kim yyc11@donga.com jnghn@donga.com