By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter
President Roh Moo-hyun Wednesday expressed concerns that his policy for balanced regional development would be stopped if Lee Myung-bak, the standard-bearer of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP), is elected president.
In his speech during a groundbreaking ceremony for the ``Renovated Jeju City'' in Seogwipo, Roh expressed his uneasiness about the possibility of disparity between Seoul and provincial cities widening if former Seoul Mayor Lee becomes the next president.
Stressing that the incumbent administration has been successful in narrowing the gap, he said the policy for balanced regional development could be stopped after his term ends next February.
The provinces have benefited from the ``comprehensive real estate taxes,'' he said. ``But there is a figure who has vowed to reintroduce the regional tax system again by scrapping those taxes.''
Roh said he heard that he (Lee) has changed his pledge after the government strongly denounced it. ``But I still feel insecure.''
The President said residents in provincial areas should look to keep a balanced regional development policy, pointing out the upcoming expiration of his tenure.
Last week, the presidential office filed a libel suit against Lee and his aides for their allegedly groundless statement that the Roh administration was behind a plot to frustrate Lee's presidential bid.
During his speech in Seogwipo, Roh confirmed the state project to build an English town to provide citizens with higher English education in Seogwipo.
Under the plan, Jeju will build 12 English-only schools accommodating about 9,000 students by 2013.
``The town will become one which is totally different from similar ones operated in other several areas,'' he said.
His pledge is in line with the government's recent tackling of a step-by-step project to make Jeju an international city and a free economic zone.
The Jeju English Town will be constructed on 4.26 million square meters of land in Seogwipo and the schools will include at least one international high school, according to the plan.
But the project has raised questions over its feasibility as well as whether it would help curtail the increasing number of students going overseas to study.