Lee Nak-yeon: "Complete Relocation of National Assembly to Sejong City, Even if Processed Solely by the Ruling Party"

"Sejong, Daejeon, Chungnam, and Chungbuk Completed as a Mega City Serving as Administrative and Science Capitals"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Former Democratic Party leader and presidential candidate Lee Nak-yeon announced that he would push to expedite the full relocation of the National Assembly and, if necessary, pass the amendment to the National Assembly Act solely with the Democratic Party.

On the 22nd, at a press conference held at the Democratic Party Daejeon City Party Office in Jung-gu, Daejeon, Lee said, "We will make the Chungcheong Megacity, which integrates Daejeon, Sejong, Chungnam, and Chungbuk into a metropolitan economic living zone, the administrative and scientific capital of the Republic of Korea, and establish this megacity as the heart of Korea’s growth by fusing basic science and business."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To this end, Lee explained that he plans to promptly establish the National Assembly Sejong Chamber and the Presidential Office in Sejong Special Self-Governing City, and swiftly relocate the remaining central administrative agencies to complete the administrative capital as soon as possible. He also mentioned his stance to advance the full relocation of the National Assembly and, if unavoidable, to pass the amendment to the National Assembly Act solely with the Democratic Party.

He further promised to complete the Chungcheong Megacity as a science capital and expand the metropolitan transportation network. This includes constructing a metropolitan railway connecting Daejeon, Sejong, Cheongju city center, and Cheongju Airport, swiftly promoting the construction of the central region’s east-west transverse railway and the double-track electrification of the Seohae Line connecting to Seoul, and advancing the high-speed upgrade of the Chungbuk Line to complete the Gangho axis. He also emphasized early commencement of the Sejong-Cheongju Expressway and inclusion of the Taean-Sejong and Boryeong-Daejeon-Boeun expressways in the five-year expressway construction plan.

In particular, to support the launch of the Chungcheong Megacity and others, he proposed establishing a 'Metropolitan Economic Living Zone Development Support Group' under the Prime Minister’s office, creating a metropolitan economic living zone support account and an innovation growth promotion subsidy within the Special Account for National Balanced Development, and preparing related government organizations and budgets. Additionally, he pledged a 100% corporate tax exemption for 10 years for companies relocating their headquarters within the metropolitan area to the Chungcheong Megacity, and employment support through four major social insurance premium subsidies for companies hiring local talent.

Moreover, to complete the Chungcheong region as a megacity serving as both the administrative and scientific capital, Lee presented plans for ▲ nurturing local talent ▲ establishing a region-led innovation growth ecosystem ▲ preserving and developing historical resources such as Baekje culture and Confucian culture in the Chungcheong region.

For nurturing local talent, he pledged to increase per-student education investment at key national universities in the Chungcheong region from 17 million KRW to 27 million KRW, matching the level of Yonsei and Korea Universities, and to make them 'tuition-free universities' by 2025. Furthermore, he plans to prioritize relocating optimal public institutions that will lead regional technological innovation and strategic industry development to the innovation cities in Daejeon and Chungnam, create a K-Technopolis, and support the innovation growth ecosystem by enabling innovation cities, local universities, regional companies, and the private sector to jointly foster strategic industries in Chungcheong.

Through this, Daejeon will become a K-Bio-centered innovation growth R&D hub, Chungnam a growth engine blending nature and industry, Sejong will quickly complete its administrative capital and smart city functions, and Chungbuk will become a leading region in life sciences.

Lee emphasized, "Having recently experienced the crisis in local areas and the real estate issues in the metropolitan area, I deeply feel how great the dream of President Roh Moo-hyun was in choosing Chungcheong as Korea’s new capital. Incorporating the spirit of President Kim Dae-jung’s local autonomy, President Roh Moo-hyun’s balanced development, and President Moon Jae-in’s second phase of balanced development, I, Lee Nak-yeon, will definitely make the Chungcheong Megacity the administrative and scientific capital."

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