Sejong City

Sejong
세종시
Special autonomous city
Sejong Special Autonomous City
  transcription(s)
 • Hangul 세종특별자치시
 • Hanja 世宗特別自治市
 • Revised Romanization Sejong Teukbyeol-jachisi
 • McCune-Reischauer Sechong T’ŭkpyŏl-chach’isi

Emblem of Sejong

Map of South Korea with Sejong highlighted
Country  South Korea
Region Hoseo
Neighbourhood
Town
Townships		 2
1
9
Government
 • Mayor Lee Chunhee
Area
 • Total 465.23 km2 (179.63 sq mi)
Population (October, 2014)
 • Total 142,686[1]
 • Dialect Chungcheong
Flower Peach
Tree Pine
Bird Dollarbird
Website sejong.go.kr
Construction site in Sejong, November 2009

Sejong (Hangul: 세종, hanja: 世宗), officially Sejong Special Autonomous City (Hangul: 세종특별자치시, hanja: 世宗特別自治市) and formerly known as Yeongi (연기, 燕岐) County is South Korea's de facto second capital city. In early 2007, the South Korean government created a special administrative district from parts of South Chungcheong Province and North Chungcheong Province provinces, near Daejeon, to relocate nine ministries and four national agencies from Seoul. The new capital opened on 2 July 2012, with 36 government agencies slated to move there by 2015.[2]

Name

Sejong was named in honor of the Joseon Dynasty King Sejong the Great, the father of Korea's national alphabet.[3]

The city was originally called Yeongi County (연기, 燕岐).

History

In 2004, the plan for creation of the city arose after the failure of former President Roh Moo-hyun to relocate the national capital from Seoul to the Chungcheong region, Yeongi–Gongju area and Gongju–Nonsan area as candidates.[4] The plan envisages a city with a population of around 500,000 [5]

Plans for the city have resulted in numerous disputes in the National Assembly. A faction led by former President Lee Myung-bak's political rival, current President Park Geun-hye within the Grand National Party, all opposition parties and a majority of people in the Chungcheong region are against scrapping the original plan to relocate government ministries to Sejong in South Chungcheong Province. The city was originally meant to be the capital, but a high court ruled it to be illegal.[2]

In July 2012 Sejong was created from all of Yeongi County, three townships of Gongju[6] and one township of Cheongwon County.

In April 2013 the government of Putrajaya, Malaysia signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the government of Sejong City to mark cooperation between the two cities.

Geography

Sejong is located between three other major Korean cities: Daejeon, Cheonan and Cheongju.

It is about 75 miles (121 km) from Seoul.[7]

Cityscape

As of 2012 much of the city was under construction. The residential area, by 2012, had several high-rises built for transferees. At that time the residential area was cordoned off from much of the under-development governmental area and had some restaurants, six schools, and one grocery store. As of 2015 Sejong City had no hospital.[7]

Administrative divisions

Hansol-dong and Jochiwon-eup is the city main urban center. Sejong is divided into 3 haengjeong-dong (administrative neighbourhood), 1 eup (town) and 9 myeon (townships).

Map Name Hangul Hanja Population
(2014)[1]
— Administrative Neighbourhoods —
Hansol-dong 한솔동 한솔洞 20,718
Dodam-dong 도담동 도담洞 11,544
Areum-dong 아름동 아름洞
— Towns —
Jochiwon-eup 조치원읍 鳥致院邑 48,468
— Townships —
Yeongi-myeon 연기면 燕岐面 2,942
Yeondong-myeon 연동면 燕東面 4,127
Bugang-myeon 부강면 芙江面 7,002
Geumnam-myeon 금남면 錦南面 10,355
Janggun-myeon 장군면 將軍面 5,616
Yeonseo-myeon 연서면 燕西面 8,014
Jeonui-myeon 전의면 全義面 7,153
Jeondong-myeon 전동면 全東面 4,335
Sojeong-myeon 소정면 小井面 3,087

Population and demographics

The city aims to have a population of 200,000 at the end of 2012, 300,000 by 2020 and 500,000 by 2030.[8]

Government and infrastructure

The South Korean government plans to move 36 government ministries and agencies to Sejong City.[7]

The Sejong Government Complex is located in Sejong City. The complex, on a 213,000-square-metre (2,290,000 sq ft) plot of land, has seven stories and one basement. Construction began in November 2011 in what was South Chungcheong Province, and the complex was completed on November 16, 2013. The ceremony to mark the movement of several government agencies to the complex occurred on December 23, 2013.[9]

The Sejong Government Complex includes the head offices of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the Ministry of Environment,[10] the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries,[11] the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), the Ministry of Education,[12] the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA),[13] and the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL).

Several MOLIT agencies, the Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA), the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST), and the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), have their headquarters in the Sejong Government Complex.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is also located in Sejong City.

Educational facilities

Universities

Senior high schools

Transportation

Air

Sejong is also served by Cheongju International Airport in Cheongju, the nearest airport to Sejong.

National railway

Sejong is centrally located on Gyeongbu Line operated by Korail. It's a 90 minute journey on the Mugunghwa-ho to Seoul and trains run approximately every 30 minutes. Also just outside of Jochiwon-eup limits in Osong, Cheongwon has a new KTX station Osong Station which is a KTX bullet train that frequently travels 300 km/h.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://rcps.egov.go.kr:8081/ageStat.do?command=month
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "South Korea opens 'mini capital' in Sejong City". BBC. 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  3. ↑ BBC NEWS: S Korea chooses new capital site
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Kang Hyun-kyung, ""Sejong City Project Will Have Far-Reaching Ramifications"," The Korea Times, Sept. 26-27, 2009, p. 2.
  6. ↑ "Sejong City to Become Biz Hub, Not Gov't District".
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Harlan, Chico (Contributing: Yoonjung Seo) "With new Sejong City, South Korean government aims to rebalance power." Washington Post. August 17, 2012. Retrieved on December 31, 2013. "But critics — including President Lee Myung-bak, who did not attend a recent launch ceremony here — say it’s crazy to set parts of the administration 75 miles apart."
  8. ↑ Rahn, Kim. "Mini-capital Sejong City opens". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 2012.
  9. ↑ "Korea's new administrative center: Sejong City." (Archive) Korea.net. Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS, 해외문화홍보원). Retrieved on December 31, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Home" (English). Ministry of Environment. Retrieved on December 31, 2013. "Government Complex Sejong, 11, Doum6-Ro Sejong-City, 339-012, Republic of Korea"
  11. ↑ "Home." Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Retrieved on 2 January 2014. "(우)339-012 세종특별자치시 다솜2로 94 정부세종청사 5동 해양수산부"
  12. ↑ "Location." (Archive) Ministry of Education (South Korea). Retrieved on January 1, 2014. "Address : (339-012) 408 Galmae-ro, Sejong, Republic of Korea"
  13. ↑ "Location." (Archive) Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Retrieved on December 31, 2013. "Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, 94 Dasom2-ro, Government Complex-Sejong, Sejong-si 339-012, Republic of Korea"
  14. ↑ "Location." (Archive) Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Retrieved on January 1, 2014. "Adress [sic] : 402 Hannuri-daero, Sejong-si, 339-012, Republic of Korea"

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sejong City.

Coordinates: 36°29′13″N 127°16′56″E / 36.487002°N 127.282234°E