Minor Party Leader Blasts Change to Sejong City Plan

The chairman of the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party, Lee Hoi-chang, blasted yesterday the revision to the original plan for the Sejong City development project.

“We will resist no matter what,” he told a news conference at the National Assembly. “President Lee Myung-bak’s public address Friday only built a high wall of distrust. Just as Confucius said that we cannot live without justice, the nation will have no future without the people’s trust. This is a universal truth.”

“Even a nation obsessed with material profit and vulgar commercialism should not lose the people’s trust however inefficient and inconvenient the project is. The Lee Myung-bak administration better put everything back to normal before he is held accountable to history.”

Chairman Lee also criticized the previous administration for coming up with the idea of moving the capital to the central region. “I opposed former President Roh Moo-hyun when he abruptly brought up the idea to move the capital in his presidential campaign in 2002."

"The Special Act on New Administrative Capital Construction and the Special Act on Multi-Functional Administrative City were motivated by populism conscious of the constituents of the Chungcheong provinces. Moving the entire capital and certain administrative functions are fundamentally different.”

On his party’s threat to have all of its lawmakers to resign from the National Assembly if the change in plan is carried out, he said, “The party will concentrate all of its power to resist the government’s move to change the original plan. If our intent is not honored, we will voluntarily resign to show what responsible politicians are about.”

Chairman Lee said the party will submit a resolution demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Chung Un-chan together with the main opposition Democratic Party. “To maintain the original plan for the project, we could take action together with other opposition parties including the Democratic Party.”

needjung@donga.com