Seunghee Lee, Mayor of Sejong, "Urges Passage of National Assembly Act Amendment" Solo Protest

Lee Chun-hee, Mayor of Sejong City, is holding a one-person protest with a placard in front of the main gate of the National Assembly building in Seoul on the 15th. Photo by Sejong City

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “We urge the ruling and opposition parties to make a decisive move to commence the construction of the Sejong National Assembly building based on the spirit of prior agreements.”

On the 15th, Lee Chun-hee, Mayor of Sejong City, held a solo protest in front of the main gate of the National Assembly building located in Yeouido, Seoul. This was to urge the National Assembly to pass the amendment to the National Assembly Act within this month so that the construction of the Sejong National Assembly building can begin.

The mayor stated, “Although 14.7 billion KRW was secured for the design costs of the Sejong National Assembly building through bipartisan agreement, not a single won has yet been spent on the construction budget for the Sejong National Assembly building,” and added, “The National Assembly must pass the amendment to the National Assembly Act including the establishment of the Sejong National Assembly building during this extraordinary session so that construction can commence.”

In particular, Mayor Lee pointed out, “The establishment of the Sejong National Assembly building has already undergone sufficient debate and discussion between the ruling and opposition parties, leaving no disagreements or contentious issues,” and emphasized, “It is now time to stop delaying and prove the will through action (the establishment of the Sejong National Assembly building).”

He also stressed, “Considering that many government officials located in Sejong waste a lot of time commuting and incur enormous travel expenses, a significant portion of the National Assembly’s functions should be relocated to Sejong (establishment of the Sejong National Assembly building) to enhance the efficiency of national governance.”

The mayor appealed that strong promotion of national balanced development policies is necessary to resolve the issues of concentration in the metropolitan area and the hollowing out of local regions.

He further emphasized that the construction of the Sejong National Assembly building is a core project for this purpose and is a historic task and a mission of the times that transcends party and factional interests.

Meanwhile, while Mayor Lee was holding his solo protest, activities such as SNS certification shot relays, street banner postings, and civil society press conferences were held in Sejong, mainly by civic groups, to urge that the amendment to the National Assembly Act for the construction of the Sejong National Assembly building be passed during this month’s extraordinary session.

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