By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff reporter
The ruling and opposition parties agreed Wednesday to put a set of disputed bills on Sejong City to a vote at a National Assembly committee this month to decide on the fate of the development project.
Observers say the Committee on Land and Maritime Affairs may vote against the bills as both opposition parties and many lawmakers in the governing Grand National Party (GNP) have expressed strong opposition to their passage.
Amid mounting pressure to withdraw the government-proposed bills after the GNP's humiliating defeat in the June 2 local elections, President Lee Myung-bak urged the National Assembly, Monday, to decide on the fate of the project during the ongoing parliamentary session.
Under the revised plan, a more business-friendly town will be built in the Chungcheong region, instead of relocating nine government ministries and four agencies.
Separately, the parties agreed to endorse an independent counsel bill to probe into a scandal involving prosecutors who allegedly accepted kickbacks and favors from a businessman in exchange for favors.
The scandal broke in late April when MBC-TV's investigative journal PD Notebook reported that a businessman bribed more than 50 prosecutors with cash, gifts, free meals and prostitution services for more than 20 years
Earlier this month, a fact-finding committee, comprised of nine people from civic groups and the prosecution, concluded that dozens of implicated prosecutors had received favors, but their "irregular behavior" was not serious enough to be prosecuted.
Disappointed in the objectivity of the prosecution-led investigation, opposition parties have called for the launch of an independent counsel to further investigate the scandal.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chung Un-chan also said that the government may scale down the four-river refurbishment project in certain areas if local administrative chiefs adamantly refuse to support the multi-billion dollar project.
He made the remark during an interpellation session at the National Assembly as lawmakers continued to play a blame game over the river restoration plan.
"If necessary, the government will review the project," Chung said. "It will not push the project in areas, where people are absolutely against it."
According to a recent survey of 64 local chiefs-elect in areas involved with the four-river project, only 12 opposed it, while 44 supported it and eight declined to give an answer.
Sources say the Lee Myung-bak administration has recently decided not to aggressively pursue the project in areas with strong opposition with the view that local governments and residents have more to lose than gain for giving up attracting the state-led project.
Chung also urged opposition parties not to regard the local polls as a referendum on the administration and a public warning not to push the river work.
"Local elections are held to replace the local administrative chiefs. It is wrong to assume it is a referendum," Chung said. "The outcome of the elections should not directly influence state-initiated projects."
Chung underlined that it will be irresponsible for new chiefs of local governments to hamper the ongoing river work for political purposes.
In the local polls, the GNP won only six of the 16 gubernatorial and mayoral races, while the DP garnered seven.