The Democratic Party's 'Jungwon Strategy' Shaking Chungcheong Public Sentiment... A Blueprint Aimed at the Presidential Election

Administrative Capital Relocation, Korean New Deal, and the Keyword 'Regional Balanced Development'... The Side That Wins Chungcheong Public Sentiment Wins the Presidential Election, A History of Korean Politics

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Won Dara] The ruling party's 'Central Region Strategy' shaking the public sentiment in Chungcheong is closely related to a blueprint aimed at a scenario for regaining power. In the short term, it can be seen as a detour strategy to solve real estate issues, but it is actually a mid- to long-term move targeting the 2022 presidential election.

Since the ruling party brought up the sensitive issue of relocating the administrative capital, the political world has been stirred. The opposition is struggling to come up with countermeasures. This is related to the election history of Korean politics, where the side that won the Chungcheong public sentiment took control of the Blue House.

According to Statistics Korea on the 23rd, based on the resident registration population as of June this year, Honam (Gwangju + Jeonnam + Jeonbuk) has about 5.12 million people, and Chungcheong (Daejeon + Sejong + Chungnam + Chungbuk) has about 5.52 million. The population of Daejeon is about 1.47 million, which is more than Gwangju's 1.45 million. The political landscape, which has been divided between Yeongnam and Honam, is already changing. In past elections, the Chungcheong public sentiment decided the presidential election outcome.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A representative example is the 2002 presidential election. At that time, Democratic Party candidate Roh Moo-hyun led his victory based on the administrative capital issue, but the election results by region differ from common expectations. Roh's vote share in Seoul (51.3%) was lower than in Daejeon (55.1%) and Chungnam (52.2%). The strong support from Chungcheong drove the participatory government to power.

Recently, Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised issues such as relocating the administrative capital and moving the Blue House to Sejong, which are agendas that stir the Chungcheong public sentiment. Especially, just highlighting the administrative capital relocation issue can raise expectations among the local population. It is also noteworthy that the opposition cannot simply oppose it blindly.

The administrative capital relocation issue dates back to the era of former President Park Chung-hee. In February 1977, during his New Year inspection tour, he announced plans for a temporary administrative capital, with the candidate site being the Janggi-myeon area in Gongju, Chungnam. During former President Kim Young-sam's era, construction of the government Daejeon office building began, and during former President Kim Dae-jung's era, government agencies such as the Military Manpower Administration and Statistics Korea were relocated.

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the 'Party-Government Consultation on Expanding Medical School Quotas and Promoting the Establishment of Joint Medical Schools' held at the National Assembly on the 23rd, and is talking with Cho Jung-sik, chairman of the Policy Committee, during the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The Grand National Party, the predecessor of the United Future Party, had a harsh experience due to the administrative capital issue. After winning the 2007 presidential election, former President Lee Myung-bak announced that he would "completely reconsider the construction of Sejong City," which became a seed of internal party conflict.

They pushed for the passage of the 'Sejong City revision plan' in the National Assembly plenary session, which aimed to transform Sejong City into a business and research-centered city, but in 2010, then leading presidential candidate Park Geun-hye rejected it using the logic of a "promise to the people." It became a situation where a leading politician of the ruling party blocked the president's national policy blueprint. This triggered the Lee Myung-bak administration falling into a 'lame duck swamp.'

The administrative capital relocation issue is also related to the Korean New Deal project that President Moon Jae-in is focusing on. Decentralization and balanced regional development were core political philosophies of former President Roh Moo-hyun. President Moon, who served as chief of staff at the Blue House during the participatory government, also inherits this philosophy.

The expansion and development of Sejong City's functions symbolize the balanced regional development project. Although the plan to expand South Korea's growth base from the metropolitan area to the regions appears to be a policy issue, it is expected to ultimately have a political halo effect that shakes the presidential election landscape.

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