South Korea’s Sejong wants to be government model city in the world
Story and photos by Chhay Sophal
Cambodia News
Sejong, South Korea (March 7, 2018): With about 800-thousand population, South Korea’s Sejong city who nickname “Happy City” is rapidly growing as the de facto administrative capital relocating most of the central government ministries and agencies.
The government administrative offices, including Prime Minister Office and Ministry of Finance, have so far successfully relocated in Sejong. The city is now seeking the National Assembly and Presidential Residence to move from the current capital of Seoul so that Sejong can stand strong as the nation’s Administration Capital and the heart of the Republic of Korea.
Dr. Lee Choon-hee, Sejong Mayor, told a group of 70 international journalists from 50 countries, including two from Cambodia’s Club of Cambodian Journalists, in his office on Wednesday that 60% of the government administrations is now functioning in Sejong. The journalists are here to join a 6-day World Journalists Conference hosted by the Journalists Association of Korea.
“The reason why we want to relocate the government administration in Sejong because it is in the central of South Korea where every city can move in about 2 hours while Seoul is very crowded. For Seoul, it takes 1 hour by bus and about 45 minutes by train,” Dr. Lee said through his interpreter.
The living condition in Sejong is much better than in Seoul as the costs are lover while salary is the same in Seoul, he said.
The construction of Sejong is a major government project slated completion over three phases – phase 1 (2007-2015), phase 2 (2016-2020), and phase 3 (2021-2030) after the late Roh Moo-hyumg in 2002, the then President Candidate, pledged to construct the new administrative capital.
In September 2012, the Prime Minister Office firstly moved to Sejong complex after the construction project started up in in July 2007.
Sejong has sought to be the world example and model for the world administrative offices for years but local politics are the barrier of the moving.
Many politicians are now becoming to understand and we hope that the National Assembly and Supreme Court will decide to relocate all government administrations to Sejong very soon because Sejong is important for the future, Dr. Lee said.
