ED Seoul is full

Koreans compare Seoul to a “black hole” or a “devouring beast.”

The capital city eats up everything ― industry, culture, and education ― leaving little for other areas. The Seoul metropolitan region covers slightly more than one-tenth of the country’s land area, but half of the country's population lives there.

All governments, conservative or progressive, have tried but failed to disperse the concentrated national administrative bodies to the rest of the country. Last Thursday, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration also unveiled a plan to revive languishing provinces for balanced national development. It was natural and desirable for Yoon to turn his campaign pledge into action.

On the same day, however, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) launched a committee to incorporate Gimpo, a small city northwest of Seoul, into the sprawling capital. “We will positively consider letting other adjacent cities into Seoul if their residents want it,” the party’s floor leader said.

It was unusual for the PPP, which looks to Yoon before deciding on anything, to counter to him. Even more unusual was the president’s acquiescence.

Politics explains why. In the last parliamentary elections, the PPP won in only seven of the 59 precincts in the greater Seoul area, which also refers to the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Incheon. The “Megacity Seoul” idea could be a game changer. Or so thought Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the PPP leader. In conclusion, however, Kim should drop his gerrymandering plan. If he doesn’t, Yoon must force him to do so.

Kim and the PPP cite two reasons for incorporating Gimpo and other small cities into Seoul. First, their residents desire so. Second, Seoul must grow even bigger to vie with foreign megacities like Tokyo and Beijing.

True, residents of Seoul’s commuter towns have difficulty due to differences in their living and working areas. Urbanization and megacities are also a global trend, as many of the world’s largest cities are its most livable ones. Seoul is only the 38th-largest city worldwide.

However, those who experience commuting problems account for only 10-20 percent of residents. That can and should be solved by improving transportation, including high-speed subways. People who direly want to be Seoul citizens are landlords, but their tenants oppose it. Being part of Seoul also does not reduce their distances or payments to key facilities.

Seoul is no match for Tokyo and Beijing in space and population. But Japan and China are three to a hundred times larger than Korea. Their megacity plans focus on the Kansai and Shanghai areas rather than capitals.

According to a recent Bank of Korea report, the capital city’s share of Korea was the highest among 26 OECD members in 2020. Seoul’s population is three times larger than the country's second-largest city of Busan. The nation’s Nos. 2, 3, and 4 metropolitan cities are comparable with mid-to-small cities in other countries.

All this explains why the previous government pushed to establish the “southeastern belt” comprising Busan and Ulsan and the “western belt” linking several coastal cities along the West Sea. The PPP scrapped these plans after its politicians became their mayors. Now, they aim to enlarge Seoul further, reversing the policies of the past half-century.

PPP strategists defend their election gimmick by citing former President Roh Moo-hyun, who confessed to “having some fun” by proposing to relocate the capital to Sejong in the swing province of Chungcheong. As his autobiography shows, however, Roh had a strong conviction about moving the capital southward. Many supported the administrative capital idea, like Canberra in Australia or Bonn in the former West Germany.

However, the Constitutional Court rejected it, citing an incomprehensible reason. “Seoul should be Korea’s capital, as it has been believed so since the Joseon Dynasty.” Sejong has the Second Government Complex, with the presidential office and the National Assembly remaining in Seoul.

The ruling party’s proposal, coming less than six months before a major election, is full of political calculations, but lacks details, including an analysis of benefits and losses.

All right-minded politicians, including the incumbent and would-be presidents, including Seoul’s mayor and the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, must make their opposition to the idea clear.

If they think expanding Seoul is still crucial, they should revisit the issue after the election ― although we doubt they will.