Holding Referendum May Cause Another Controversy

What will happen if the governing Grand National Party (GNP) fails to narrow differences between its two rival factions over the revised plan for Sejong City? There seem to be few options for breaking the deadlock. At this point, it is not easy for the government to either back down or railroad it through the National Assembly. But the political timetable calls for a solution to this controversial issue at least ahead of local polls slated for June 2 to elect governors, mayors and council members.

In this context, remarks by a senior presidential official are grabbing the attention of the media and the public. He said Sunday that President Lee Myung-bak could make a ``grave decision'' on the government's push to build a business-research complex in Sejong City, South Chungcheong Province, instead of the original plan for an administrative town. What does the grave decision refer to? Pundits speculate that Lee would prefer to put the revision to a national referendum so that the people can decide.

The remarks came after GNP lawmakers of a mainstream pro-Lee faction and its rival group led by former party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye failed to reach any agreement on the project late last month. The Lee administration has been working to undo the previous government's administrative town project since last September. However, Park and her followers are tenaciously opposing any change to the project, which called for the relocation of nine government ministries and four other agencies to the central provincial region.

The reason for the opposition is that they think government should stick to the original plan as its promise to the nation. Strong protests against the revision among residents of the province are also providing logic for Park and her faction's rejecting the changed plan. The new town project has become a hot issue pitting lawmakers, politicians and citizens against each other. Even President Lee has clashed head-on with Park, his political archrival and contestant in the presidential nomination race for the 2007 election.

For now, there is little prospect of a political comprise between Lee and Park. Thus, the revised plan seems to stand little chance of being presented to the National Assembly due to GNP infighting and objections from the Democratic Party and other opposition parties. So holding a referendum could be the only viable solution to the problem. But a popular vote is also likely to touch off another political controversy over its legitimacy.

President Lee is sure to face criticism for recklessly trying to discard the administrative town project despite opposition from his own party and also from the opposition camp. The Lee administration is already under fire for neglecting efforts to build consensus on the town project before attempting to revise it. We hope that Lee will refrain from political gambling. He's better off solving the problem through dialogue and compromise.