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| Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, speaks on the Cheong Wa Dae bill for constitutional revision, Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
The government will be able to redesignate the nation's capital according to law under President Moon Jae-in's proposed constitutional amendment, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
Announcing key elements of the proposals for a second consecutive day, the presidential office said there will be a legal basis for the transfer of the capital city, and local governments will have more autonomy under the new Constitution, if enacted in accordance with Moon's proposals.
The President stipulated the designation of the capital city should be regulated by law. "Considering increasing calls for decentralization, the capital relocation issue may surface," Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, said in a press conference.
This prompted speculation that Seoul could lose its status as the capital which would be moved south to Sejong, which is currently the "administrative" capital.
In 2004, the Constitutional Court ruled Seoul was the capital of the nation according to the "customary Constitution." This ruling nullified former President Roh Moo-hyun's bid for capital relocation to Sejong, to disperse the power concentrated in Seoul. If Moon's revision bill goes smoothly, the government can reattempt the relocation.
To achieve balanced and sustainable development throughout the nation, Cheong Wa Dae proposes stipulating "decentralization of power" in the new Constitution.
"The population of Seoul depends on influx from rural areas. The collapse of the countryside will increase the burden on the capital area, which will lead to national extinction," said Cho, a former Seoul National University professor of law.
Cho backed larger authorities of local autonomous bodies on legislation and finance. "So far, local governments could not implement distinctive policies since they were obliged to firmly abide by the nationwide laws," he said.
"To broadly ensure their autonomous legislative power, the revision bill allows local bodies to enact their own ordinances unless they violate nationwide laws. Further, the revision stated the central government's duty to share the financial burden of projects delegated by the central government."
The conflict between central and local governments was fiercely kindled in 2015. The Park Geun-hye administration pushed for the "Nuri Curriculum," compulsory education for pre-primary children, without increasing financial support for local bodies to implement the projects. In protest of the measure, local government heads boycotted the education service, which caused confusion among parents.
President Moon's revision bill also stipulated mutual coordination between central and local governments as well as between local bodies, in a bid to narrow the gap between rich and poor regions.
Regarding economic polarization, Cho commented: "As the nation grows, each citizen should grow too."
The revision bill's "public concept of land ownership" also drew keen attention. The principle, which enables the government to restrict an individual's ownership and disposal of land, aims to ease the polarization caused by speculation.
"Even though the existing Constitution recognizes the concept, the government's policies to counter speculation are always under attack," Cho said, showing the government's determination to legislate control on real estate speculation.
Additionally, Moon's revision bill stated "diversity and autonomy of culture" not to repeat the artist blacklist allegedly created by ex-President Park. The conservative administration drew up such a list to exclude liberal-leaning artists from governmental subsidies.
Moon's revision bill also mentioned the government's duty to take care of agriculture and fisheries, protect the rights of customers and encourage fundamental studies.
Cho will have another press conference Thursday, where he will unveil Moon's ideas on power structure and the authority of government organizations. On Tuesday, he revealed Moon's constitutional revision bill about human rights and democratic values.
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