Experts suggest pursuit of balanced regional development is being thwarted as they question the sustainability of alterations to the Sejong City plan

The general framework of the revisions for the Sejong City Development Plan was revealed Monday. Its basic structure involves turning Sejong into an “education and science-centered economic city” in order to ensure self-sufficiency from the capital region by drawing investors from overseas. Experts are charging that the idea of an education and science city was abandoned during the previous administration and that the plan for self-sufficiency is tainted by expediency and preferential treatment.

At the second civilian-government committee meeting on Sejong City held on Monday presided over by Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, representatives of government ministries delivered a joint report on the current situation of Sejong City’s direction and plans for its self-sufficiency. At the meeting, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) announced that it intends to attract green businesses to the city to develop it into a world-class green business city. In order to do this, MKE will be designating and developing state industrial complexes within Sejong City as foreigner investment areas. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) in turn presented a plan for expanded self-sufficiency that would involve bringing to Sejong City an additional three science and technology-related research institutions together with 16 institutions in the areas of the economics, humanities and social sciences. MEST is also proposing the creation of an autonomous private high school, a public high school, a special purposes high school and a “meister high school” modeled after the German Meisterschule, the country’s highest-level technical school.

In its self-sufficiency plan, MEST has included the establishment of foreign education institutions with enrollment totaling 4,000 or more at the elementary, middle and high school levels. These would allow South Korean students to account for 50 percent of the total enrollment. Observers are expecting this to be a controversial plan, since although these institutions would bear the name of foreign schools, up to half of their enrollment could be filled with Korean students. Education groups have immediately criticized the plan as an attempt to shake the foundations of the country’s elementary and middle school-level education. Officials of the Lee administration are responding by saying persuading the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) and Heavy Ion Accelerator Institute to move to Sejong City is possible if it is designated as part of a science-business belt.

Accordingly, the civilian-government committee on Sejong City said at a meeting Monday that ideas for the character of the city include “a majority view that it will be an education and science-centered economic city that takes into account the connection with surrounding areas such as Daedeok, Osong and Ochang, while some other ideas include a ‘high-tech green knowledge industry city,’ ‘creative industry city’ and ‘science city.’”

The panel also said that some presented the view that the character of a multifunctional administrative city should be maintained as is, otherwise the determination of its character should be postponed until discussions on the relocation of administrative offices have taken more definite shape. At the meeting Monday, some presented the opinion supporting the development of ten innovation cities that involve the relocation of 180 public institutions from the Seoul area regardless of the administrative city debate, and that consideration should be made for the original residents of the administrative city site.

Cho Myung-rae, professor of urban and regional planning of Dankook University, said, “The plan for an education and science city had been examined as an alternative for Sejong once the second administrative capital is nullified by the Constitutional Court, but it has been since discarded as unrealistic without the relocation of administrative offices.” Cho added, “All to say, it is highly doubtful that the Lee administration is going to support the creation of a city with administrative functions to balance regional development and ensures its self-sufficiency.”

Cho commented, “If the Lee administration lacks the determination or ability to achieve balanced regional development that necessitates a second administrative city, it would be better off leaving this issue alone and passing it on to the next administration.” Cho added, “It should not be so hasty in attempting to ruin something that has taken years of preparation.”

Byeon Chang-heum, professor of public administration at Sejong University, said that a panel that does not represent the public is acting as a foil for the Lee administration’s determination to avoid the development of a second administrative city at all costs. Byeon asked, “Is there a single citizen who would believe them if it were to say it will implement the plan for an innovation city plan without a hitch after seeing the plan for the second administrative city thwarted overnight?”

Byeon added, “Even if they attract businesses and institutions from the Seoul area or overseas, or create new ones to open up in Sejong City, the end result will be that the 10 innovations cities will be shut out and everything remains concentrated in Seoul.” Byeon said, “It is simply stunning that the administration plans to concentrate businesses, research institutes and universities in what had been intended as a second administrative city in the pursuit of balanced regional development.”

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