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Been There, Taught That
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Mungyeong: not a village, not yet a metroplex.
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 Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:00 am Post subject: What's happening with the 'new capitol' project? |
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| Anyone in Gongju--or anyone who knows, basically--, is there still a plan to make the new capital rise as a 'special administrative province'? I'm not yet in Korea, and haven't heard anything lately, like things have died off. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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Been There, Taught That
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Mungyeong: not a village, not yet a metroplex.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for finding even that much. It shows that the latest ideas about this thing are still pretty old. Seems like just another 'good thing to do' balloon that got blown up a little, and then the air was allowed to escape.
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| President Roh Moo-hyun has asked presidential candidates to reveal their views on moving the capital, saying the administrative city being built in Yeongi and Gongju in South Chungcheong Province should be expanded into an administrative capital. |
Was this all the last president's idea, motivated only by the particular politics of his party?
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| He said it would be �clearly inefficient if only some government agencies are moved� to the new administrative city and officials must take business trips to the National Assembly in Seoul. |
spoken like a true purveyor of the obvious.
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| Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon explained a new administrative capital could be built under the next government if politicians reach consensus and the public gives its consent. |
Motivation: either 1. Good idea, pass it on, go out in glory, let someone else drop the ball or not, or 2. stick an unworkable idea into the mix, discredit the next administration. And this was a BIG idea. I think that only in the end it did it probably get to be that way, because the plan started simmering sometime in or shortly before 2004, I believe. Was there really any hope of actually doing it? I mean, Seoul has a LOT of history as a capital in a society where a century has traditionally been just too little time for meaningful change to take place.
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| Politicians have read the president�s remarks as a politically motivated attempt to rekindle debate on building an administrative capital ahead of the presidential election in December. |
I'll admit it seems a politically motivated attempt at something. Bottom line question is: as a Western-minded person, can we say I was typical of most in taking the whole plan at face value and thinking that, since it was announced, it was actually already planned all the way out? Or was it really just an idea that naturally saw the light of day long before it actually had legs to stand on, and had other reasons attached to it besides actual implementation? |
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Been There, Taught That
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Mungyeong: not a village, not yet a metroplex.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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Then again, the new leader (as old mayor) weighs in: http://www.citymayors.com/environment/korea_newcapital.htm
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| Lee Myung-bak, the Mayor of Seoul, has strongly criticised the government�s plan for a new South Korean capital. He told the press that relocating the capital would do great harm to the South Korean economy and undermine its competitiveness. However, the government countered his argument by pointing out that international companies increasingly favour the Chinese capital Beijing because Seoul had become too cramped and overcrowded. |
Was he right, or, again, politically motivated? Being that he's now president, I can imagine this new city being shelved indefinitely.
But is a new city a good idea? Will it come back to life someday?Did the best location win? What does your average Korean-on-the-street think, if anyone does anymore? |
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