Eighteen Government Bureaus to be Moved

The controversial construction of the new administrative city has been finally decided to have 12 government ministries including the ministries of Finance and Economy, Education and Human Resources, Construction and Transportation, and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, four specialized administration bureaus including the Ministry of Planning and Budget, and two offices including the National Tax Service, moved to the Yeongi and Gongju area in Chungcheongnam-do.

The Uri Party and the Grand National Party agreed to the above at the closed meeting among the advisors of the Special Committee on the Move of Open Administrative Capital, which was held at the National Assembly privately on February 23, and convened a general assembly of members from each party in the afternoon to ratify the agreement.

While the Uri Party consented unanimously, the agreement was put to a vote and was passed with 46 approvals and 37 disapprovals because of the slight dissent among the members of the Grand National Party.

The Committee on Construction and Transportation, the high commission within the jurisdiction, passed the “Special Law for the Construction of Administration-centered Compound City in the Yeongi-Gongju Area for the Alternative Measure of the New Administrative Area,” which includes the above-mentioned points. This passage of this law will be confirmed at the plenary meeting of the extra session of the National Assembly to be held on March 2.

The construction of the new administrative capital in the Yeongi-Gongju Area, which brought about serious controversy after the decision of unconstitutionality on the Special Law on the Construction of the New Administrative City that was made by the Constitutional Court on October 21, 2004, will be pushed ahead on its course. The land purchases will begin at the end of this year.

Economy related ministries including the ministries of Finance and Economy; Commerce, Industry and Energy; Information and Technology; Construction and Transportation; Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; and Agriculture, and the social ministries including Education; Culture and Tourism; Health and Welfare; Environment; and Labor will be relocated to the Yeongi-Gongju Area. Central administrative offices such as the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs; the Government Information Agency; and the Ministry of Government Legislation under the office of the prime minister, and the Presidential Ministry of Planning and Budget, along with the National Tax Service and the National Emergency Management Agency, will also be moved.

Accordingly, the presidential residence, Cheong Wa Dae, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court, along with six other ministries including Unification; Foreign Affairs and Trade; National Defense; Justice; Government Administration and Home Affairs; and Gender Equality, will be left in Seoul.

Young-Hae Choi Yeon-Wook Jung yhchoi65@donga.com jyw11@donga.com