President Moon's Blue House Briefing, the Crossroads of the 'Hot Potato' Administrative Capital Controversy

"54.5% Say 'No Effect on Housing Price Stability from Administrative Capital Relocation'; Blue House Choice... Temperature Difference in Administrative Capital Relocation Effects Between Seoul and Chungcheong"

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Kang Na-hum] The Blue House senior secretaries and aides meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in on the 27th is expected to be a venue to determine the direction of the heated controversy over the relocation of the administrative capital, which has emerged as a 'hot potato' in the political landscape.

Over the past week, the issue of relocating the administrative capital has become a black hole issue that pushed other contentious matters to the backseat. It has sparked intense debates both inside and outside the political sphere as a variable affecting not only real estate issues but also the political structure.

Earlier, on the morning of the 20th, Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, argued in his speech representing the negotiating groups at the National Assembly that "The National Assembly, the Blue House, and government ministries should all relocate to Sejong City to alleviate overcrowding and real estate problems in Seoul and the metropolitan area." By bringing up the unfinished task of relocating the administrative capital from the participatory government era, he highlighted the sensitive issue of 'relocating the Blue House' as a key point.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 20th, at the senior secretaries and aides meeting chaired by President Moon, Kim Sa-yeol, chairman of the National Balanced Development Committee, attended and reported on regional balanced development plans including the relocation of public institutions to local areas. The Blue House and the ruling party thus highlighted the issue of regional balanced development in a back-and-forth manner.

The Blue House showed a cautious stance toward Floor Leader Kim's proposal, stating it would "observe discussions between the ruling and opposition parties." The message of listening to public opinion can be interpreted as leaving the possibility open. Although President Moon refrains from directly mentioning the Blue House relocation issue, his 'silence' can also be perceived as a political message.

Considering the political reality, it is unlikely that the Blue House will lead constitutional amendment discussions again. However, if President Moon makes direct remarks about the administrative capital relocation at the meeting on the 27th, the course of the discussion could enter a new phase.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This can be seen as the Blue House officially entering the heated debate over the administrative capital relocation, a hot topic in Yeouido politics. The senior secretaries and aides meeting on the 27th is expected to focus on President Moon's messages regarding public safety protection, economic rebound, and monsoon measures. Even if President Moon does not directly mention the administrative capital relocation issue at the meeting, the controversy will not die down.

The administrative capital relocation issue has established itself as a live issue in the political arena and has already become one axis of the real estate debate. Public opinion polls have shown that more than half of the public is positive about relocating the administrative capital. However, more than half of the public does not agree with the claim that relocating the administrative capital to Sejong City can stabilize housing prices in the metropolitan area.

On the 27th, Realmeter announced that, based on a survey commissioned by YTN conducted on the 24th with 500 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, 54.5% responded that they 'do not agree' with the effect of stabilizing housing prices in the metropolitan area, while 40.6% responded that they 'agree.'

Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

In particular, opinions in Seoul and the Chungcheong region showed contrasting views. In Seoul, 69.3% disagreed with the claim that relocating the administrative capital would stabilize housing prices in the metropolitan area. In contrast, in the Chungcheong region, 51.0% agreed, and 45.8% disagreed, showing a significant difference from the Seoul poll results. Respondents from the Gyeonggi and Incheon areas showed 58.7% disagreeing, which did not differ much from the overall results.

Looking at party support groups, among the non-affiliated voters, 69.0% responded that they 'do not agree.' Overall, residents of Seoul and the metropolitan area and non-affiliated voters expressed negative views on the claim that relocating the administrative capital would stabilize housing prices in the metropolitan area.

This survey contacted 8,619 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, with a final 500 respondents completing the survey, recording a response rate of 5.8%. The sampling error is ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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