Special Administrative City Crosses with the Decision on Constitutionality by the Court

Regarding the issue of establishing a special city for the administrative government where the central ministries, with the exception of Cheong Wa Dae, will be placed, an assertion has been made that this runs against the unconstitutionality decision made by the Constitutional Court.

On December 22, a law professor of Sungkyunkwan University, Lee Gwang-yoon, suggested this possibility at the forum on “Alternative Measures for New Administrative Capital for Balanced National Growth” at the Korea Press Center on Taepyeong Boulevard in Jung-gu, Seoul that was co-hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea and the Korea Press Foundation.

The professor said, “If the decision by the Constitutional Court is to be upheld, the National Assembly and the places for the presidential tasks cannot be moved unless the Constitution is amended otherwise,” and asserted, “It could be possible to disperse the administrative ministries excluding the presidential residence to various locations, but moving the entire administration all together goes against the court’s decision on constitutionality.”

Establishing a special city for administration by relocating central governing ministries apart from Cheong Wa Dae is one of the main alternatives to the capital relocation being discussed within the government and the ruling party.

Kwang-Hyun Kim kkh@donga.com