By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter

President Lee Myung-bak said Friday that he would revise the previous administration's project to build an administrative town in Sejong City, South Chungcheong Province, and seek an alternative development plan for the sake of the country's future.

In his first town hall meeting since last January, broadcast live on major television networks, he apologized for breaking a promise made during the 2007 presidential campaign to support the administrative town project, saying he felt great responsibility as head of state to correct a ``wrong'' policy.

``It was a shameful and regretful act to promise support then,'' Lee said. ``I'm sorry for the social conflicts that have occurred over the proposed revision.''

As Seoul mayor in the early 2000s, Lee opposed the relocation of government offices out of Seoul, one of the pet projects of the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration. However, he changed his position and repeatedly pledged to continue the plan during his presidential campaign.

``I understand how people in the Chungcheong provinces feel about the revision,'' Lee said. ``However, the government cannot work out of offices in two different places. We should also consider the post-reunification era of the two Koreas. We will come up with better plans for the provinces.''

The President also appealed for support for the government in pushing the $19 billion project to refurbish the country's four major rivers, denying claims from environmentalists and opposition parties that the project will damage the environment.

The main opposition Democratic Party called the meeting disappointing.

``President Lee broke his promise again. Nobody should trust him,'' said DP lawmaker Park Jie-won. ``Presidential secretaries and Cabinet members should step down to take responsibility for this.''

Based on a special law, enacted in 2005, the administration was to have relocated nine ministries and four agencies to the area in South Chungcheong beginning 2012.

However, the Lee administration is now seeking a revision to the law to keep the offices in Seoul and transform the envisioned town into a self-sufficient, multi-functional industrial city. It will make public an alternative plan next month.

The revision has been at the center of controversy since Prime Minister Chung Un-chan indicated late October that he was opposed to the administrative town project.

Drawing attention now is how former Grand National Party Chairwoman Rep. Park Geun-hye, one of President Lee's biggest political rivals and leader of the party's second-largest faction, will react.

Earlier this month, she claimed it was unreasonable for the government to invalidate the administrative town project after it had been endorsed by the National Assembly.

Park was chairwoman of the then main opposition GNP when it gave the go-ahead for the plan.

Analysts say it will be practically impossible for the GNP-controlled National Assembly to approve a revision bill without support from Park.

Cheong Wa Dae formed a task force of presidential secretaries with journalism backgrounds immediately after Lee decided to hold the town hall meeting.

Some secretaries asked Lee to delay it, citing growing controversy over a corruption scandal involving top tax officials and Lee's close aides.

However, the President decided to bite the bullet as he thought it was an opportunity to clarify his position on disputed issues, sources said.

This week, Lee held rehearsals at his office to practice answering embarrassing questions, with his secretaries playing the role of panelists.

jj@koreatimes.co.kr