President opposes relocation South Korean ministries
Updated
A plan to relocate 49 government agencies out of the South Korean capital Seoul is opposed by the country's President Lee Myung-bak. But Mr Lee's opposition to the relocation of the government agencies does not extend to stopping 22.5 trillion won being spent on a new city 120 kilometres from Seoul.
Presenter: Brett Cole
Speakers: Mr Na, a South Korean bureaucrat; Yim Kwang-nam, a retired pharmacist and Lee Han-koo, a company chief executive
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COLE: South Korean President Lee Myung-bak commenting on the fine autumn weather while marking the start of a program he says will rehabilitate the four major rivers of his country. The weekend ceremony, by the banks of Yeongsan River in the south-west of Korea, was a welcome respite for Mr Lee who is grappling with critics opposed to his four rivers project and his opposition to plans that call for the relocation of 12 ministries from the greater Seoul area to a yet to be built administrative city named Sejong. The South Korean president and his advisers believe the Sejong city plan, made by the previous South Korean government, is a waste of money. Bureaucrats such as Mr Na agree.
NA: To move the government office is the waste of budget.
COLE: I spoke with Mr Na while on one of South Korea's high speed trains that passed within 20 kilometers of where Sejong city is to be built. Bureaucrats such as Mr Na are unlikely to live in Sejong with their families. Korean mothers would prefer to have their children educated in Seoul as they believe the capital offers the best chance for their children to get into one of South Korea's leading universities. Many in the South Korean government say the experience of other countries such as Australia and Brazil who relocated government outside their biggest cities has been a failure. But Lee Han-koo, a chief executive also on the high speed train with me, says distance no longer matters especially in South Korea which enjoys one of the most sophisticated communication networks of any nation.
LEE HAN-KOO: The I.T. is very advanced compared with any nation in the world. So no more communication problem.
COLE: Relocating government ministries outside crowded Seoul is not a new idea. Dictator Chun Doo-hwan relocated some ministries outside Seoul to the Gwacheon administrative complex. Of the 5,000 bureaucrats who work at Gwacheon only about 500 live in the area. Daejon, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, also houses some government agencies. The dispersal of government agencies is inefficient, says the South Korean government. South Korea is a small country, about the size of Hungary, and lacks natural resources. South Korea's ability to be efficient in manufacturing, services and administration is crucial for its future. South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan's idea to make Sejong a city focusing on information technology, research and development, is smart says Yim Kwang-nam, a retired pharmacist.
YIM KWANG-NAM: Education and I.T. city rather than government city.
