SEJONG — Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok on the 2nd asked the party's floor leadership to examine whether a special act on the administrative capital can be passed this year, saying a special committee on completing the administrative capital could also be formed if needed.
Kim made the remarks at an on-site supreme council meeting held at Sejong City Hall, noting that President Lee Jae-myung had said he would hold his retirement ceremony in Sejong and had also called for finding a way forward together with the public from a long-term perspective.
Kim said completing Sejong as the administrative capital is the 50th item on the policy agenda of the Lee Jae-myung government and the first priority among national land transformation tasks. He added that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sejong name and that the party's supreme council meeting in the city carried special significance.
Kim said the budget for building the presidential office in Sejong has increased more than eightfold this year alone, and that 119.1 billion won has been allocated for a National Assembly building in the city. The National Assembly will complete the legal foundation for the administrative capital, he said.
On the 2027 budget proposal, Kim described it as a bold investment that will drive South Korea's transformation while also securing improvement in fiscal soundness. He called it a strategic budget covering three mega projects, a future response fund and self-reliant defense, as well as a budget for balanced regional development and one that strengthens support for citizens across their life cycles.
Kim said the economic growth rate has rebounded to 3.8% and 3.7%, and exports topped $100 billion in June for the first time, placing the country fifth in the world. Still, he said, the macro economy is recovering but households have yet to feel the improvement to the same degree, and both the government and the ruling party feel a heavy sense of responsibility.
He said the party would review the budget proposal in the National Assembly in a direction that allows the public to share the fruits of growth evenly, so that households experience a clear recovery matching the rebound in the broader economy.
