Administrative Capital's '3 Cards'... Democratic Party TF Formed to "Solve Politically"

4-Term Woo Won-sik Appointed Head of Administrative Capital Completion Task Force
Party Consensus More Practical Than Constitutional Amendment and Referendum

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Democratic Party of Korea is making every effort to amend the law through bipartisan agreement to achieve the 'completion of the administrative capital.' They are withdrawing individual legislative bills prepared by lawmakers just before submission to the National Assembly and forming a task force at the party level to focus on negotiations with the opposition party to accelerate progress. The intention is to avoid creating an impression of unilateral promotion. The plan to form an Administrative Capital Completion Promotion Task Force (TF) within the party and appoint Representative Woo Won-sik as its head appears to be part of this effort.

Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the policy coordination meeting on the 23rd, "There is a third way to confirm national consensus besides a referendum and constitutional amendment," adding, "If bipartisan agreement is reached to obtain national consent, the 2004 unconstitutional ruling based on customary constitutional law will no longer be an issue." He emphasized that if the National Assembly makes a decision, it will be the most efficient and fastest way to complete the administrative capital.

Kim also stated, "The Constitutional Court's rulings can sufficiently change with the times," and "It seems that the United Future Party does not oppose the completion of the administrative capital itself. The ruling and opposition parties need to put their heads together to find a solution." Following the proposal to form a bipartisan special committee, the Democratic Party decided to first establish an internal 'Administrative Capital Completion Promotion Task Force (TF)' led by four-term Representative Woo Won-sik.

Earlier, Representative Kim Du-kwan of the Democratic Party had prepared a bill to elevate the Administrative City to the status of the administrative capital and was scheduled to propose it on the 22nd. However, in the afternoon of the same day, Representative Kim said, "We decided to align with the party," and shifted to submitting it to the party's TF instead of the National Assembly. This was accepted because Floor Leader Kim wanted to negotiate with the opposition party at the party level and create a bill at the National Assembly level. It is also interpreted that the possibility of negotiation increased as United Future Party members Jeong Jin-seok, Jang Je-won, and former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon expressed support for the administrative capital the day before. Although constitutional amendment is the most certain method, since it inevitably involves comprehensive issues such as power structure reform and economic matters, it is considered realistic to pursue the administrative capital on a separate track.

However, Kim Ki-hwan, the emergency committee chairman, expressed a strong opposition stance on relocating the administrative capital. At the emergency committee meeting that day, Kim said, "The reality is that regional balanced development has had no effect on alleviating the overpopulation of the metropolitan area," and criticized, "The capital has symbolic significance in the international community, and there is a security psychological situation among metropolitan residents. There are even unimaginable claims that since the Constitutional Court is staffed by our people, it should naturally be constitutional."

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, also said, "There is no sincerity, and the unconstitutional issue has not been resolved. The public is not unaware of the Democratic Party's intentions," adding, "I hope they withdraw it quickly and focus on urgent issues such as skyrocketing housing prices in the metropolitan area, tap water problems, and the former Mayor Park Won-soon's issues." On the same day, during an appearance on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' he said, "There could be a constitutional amendment or a referendum, and we need to have many discussions about the procedures and what can be concluded without resolving the unconstitutional issue." His tone became stronger within a few hours, shifting from "we need to discuss" to "it should be withdrawn." It seems that Kim Ki-hwan's criticism of not only the unconstitutional issue but also the balanced development policy itself influenced this.

While constitutional amendment is the most certain and controversy-free way to implement the administrative capital, it requires a very arduous process. Therefore, the Democratic Party is in favor of promoting it smoothly through 'politics,' whereas the United Future Party emphasizes the condition that the unconstitutional issue must be resolved in principle. A referendum is also a burdensome card for both parties as it can cause regional conflicts.

In any case, balanced development policy is a troublesome issue for the United Future Party as it influences public opinion in the targeted regions. An opposition party official said, "Although the ruling party brought it up, it is difficult for the opposition party to simply oppose balanced development," adding, "Various opinions are expected to pour out."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.