Sejong in Korea – By the standards of Korean metropolitan cities, Sejong is not particularly a city.
Sejong, a planned city with a population of 400,000 and 62 miles south of Seoul, doesn’t even break the top 20 urban centers.
However, if South Korea’s next president could have had his way, Sejong could soon become the “de facto” capital of the country.
A dominant favourite of Tuesday’s presidential election, Lee Jae-myeon pledged to move the presidential office, parliament and numerous public institutions to the Holy Holy Land as part of a new push to establish new administrative capital.
“I will make Sejong effectively an administrative capital and make Big Jeon a global science capital,” Lee said in the election preparations.
“We will also promote the full relocation of the Parliament and the Presidential Office to the Holy Treaty through social consensus.”
Se-jeong was conceived in 2003 by the late President Rof Moo-hyun. He believed that by moving the capital, he would reduce the crowds in Seoul and achieve the twins’ purpose of encouraging development in the central region of Korea.
ROH’s ambitions for Sejong were dealt with the following year when the Constitutional Court ruled that Seoul should remain the capital.
The Prime Minister’s Office and around 12 ministries have been moving to the Holy Treaty for many years as part of the decentralisation efforts of successive governments, but Seoul has not only been the official capital, but also the centre of political, economic and cultural life.
Greater Seoul is home to half of the South Korean population (approximately 26 million), and most of the country’s top companies, universities, hospitals and cultural institutions are concentrated in the area.
On a recent Friday afternoon, Sejong’s wide streets were almost quiet, a world away from the bustling alleys of downtown Seoul.
At the city’s express bus stop, many government workers were waiting to take them to the capital by bus.
Kevin Kim, a 30-year-old civil servant, travels to Seoul at least twice a month on weekends.
“My family, friends and girlfriends are in Seoul,” Kim, who has lived in Sejong for nearly two years, told Al Jazeera.
“All the big hospitals are there so I have to go to Seoul.”
Lee Ho Baek, who works for a startup in Sejong, visits Seoul several times a month.
“There’s not enough infrastructure and things to do in town for us,” he told Al Jazeera, not sure if he’ll stay longer despite moving to Sejong a year ago.
After years of obstacles to Sejong’s development, including concerns about costs and constitutional legitimacy, Lee’s pledge sparked signs of temporary growth for the city.
In April, real estate transactions tripled compared to the same period last year.
But Sejong’s fate, so closely tied to the changing whims of politicians, is concerned about its long-term sustainability.
Apartment prices rose 45% amid discussions about the possibility of Lee Jae-myeon’s Democratic Party’s relocation of the presidential office and Congress in 2020.
In Nasundon, Sejong, a central district surrounded by parks, shopping centres and flashy apartments, the streets were quiet when Friday afternoons turned into an evening.
M-Bridge, a highly anticipated multifunctional mall designed by the company of global architect Tom Main, was almost empty.
According to the South Korean Real Estate Board, Sejong has a 25% vacancy rate in medium to large shopping centres.
There are very few draws for young people
“In our city, weekdays are busier than weekends,” Jace Kim, the owner of a restaurant that came to Seichu in 2015, told Al Jazeera.
“Most civil servants working in the city spend time and money outside of city limits. Our city is relatively small and newly built, making it ideal for mothers and children. But there are no universities or large companies that attract young people.”
Moon Yoon Sang, a researcher at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), said Washington, DC could be a model for Se-Jung’s growth and development.
“If the government center moves to Sejong, I hope that there will be customs and important meetings there rather than Seoul,” Moon told Al Jazeera.
“Today, there are only two major hotels in the city, but people are hoping for a monumental effect on the movement of the National Assembly.”
Park Jin, a professor at KDI’s School of Public Policy Management, said he supports Se-jung becoming the official capital.
After the 2004 Constitutional Court decision, the relocation of the capital would require amendments to the constitution. This must be approved in the referendum by two-thirds of the National Assembly and half of the voters.
In a 2022 survey by Hankook Research, 54.9% of respondents said they had approved the move of the capital to Sejong, while 51.7% disapproved of moving the Parliament and the Presidential Office from Seoul.
“As the country’s talent pool and key infrastructure remain within Seoul, the country needs to invest in the development of other major cities,” Park told Al Jazeera.
“For Sejong, this, when combined with the adjacent large jeon, means that it will become a national administrative research centre.”
The Park believes that five major cities in the country outside the metropolitan area should have at least 4 million residents to maintain healthy urbanization.
Busan, the second largest city in South Korea, has 3.26 million people. Last year, South Korea’s Employment Information Services officially classified Busan as at risk of extinction due to record fertility rates and a decline in the young workforce.
The country’s regional population decline has been further exacerbated by internal migration to Seoul. Last year, more than 418,000 people moved to the capital region.
Sejong has a goal of reaching 800,000 residents by 2040, with its current population about twice as high.
“Today, many people are not thinking of moving to Sejong. In an age where both members of a married couple are expected to work, it is extremely difficult for both members to find work outside of Seoul,” Moon said.
“Maybe there will be a difference in how people view Sejong over the next decade.”
The Park said developing a city from scratch is not a short-term project.
“But we can expect some real changes to occur with the relocation of the capital,” he said.
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