Cho Sang-ho, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Sejong mayor, said in an interview with ChosunBiz on Apr. 28 that he would complete the administrative capital and improve citizens' quality of life as a Sejong "household steward" equipped with the three elements of politics, policy, and administration. The "Administrative Capital Special Act" is currently pending in the National Assembly's Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee. Cho said establishing the administrative capital is essential to break the "single-pole system" in which everything is concentrated in the greater Seoul area.
Cho is also planning what comes after the administrative capital. He said, "Sejong must grow into a city with a fully self-sufficient function," adding, "We can increase the general local allocation tax to around 1.2 trillion won and overcome the fiscal crunch by collecting development charges from the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH)." Cho will face Choi Min-ho, a People Power Party preliminary candidate whose duties as Sejong mayor were recently suspended due to his run for office.
– You are making a second bid for Sejong mayor. What led you to decide to run?
"I served as Sejong's vice mayor for economic affairs during COVID-19. But when I recently met local businesspeople, they said, 'In Sejong, COVID-19 still hasn't ended.' In reality, everything in Sejong has been at a standstill. Having worked as vice mayor for economic affairs in Sejong, I thought there is still work to do as a useful household steward."
– The "Administrative Capital Special Act" is under review in the National Assembly.
"While the National Assembly votes on bills, local governments must explain the greater purpose and seek cooperation. Demanding and achieving this is what a mayor does. While handling balanced development at the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, I included 'completion of the administrative capital' as a state agenda. If Sejong until now has been about selecting a site and erecting the framework, now we must add flesh and get the blood flowing. We must create an environment where youth growing up in Sejong can find good universities and jobs and enjoy a cultural setting similar to Seoul."
– In 2004, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling of unconstitutionality on the administrative capital.
"What the Constitutional Court found unconstitutional 20 years ago was only the 'concept of Sejong City' that existed on paper. More than 20 years have passed, and now most central ministries are in Sejong, and the Sejong presidential office and the National Assembly building have been finalized by law. Circumstances have changed sufficiently."
– Sejong's fiscal woes have also been an annual issue.
"Sejong currently receives about 115 billion won in general local allocation tax. If it were set at a fixed rate like Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, it could receive around 1.2 trillion won. Right now, it is effectively getting one-tenth. We need to persuade the state so that Sejong receives the general local allocation tax it is entitled to. Also, in developing Sejong, we must collect development charges from LH, and the amount is estimated to be considerable. I am thinking of advancing the collection of development charges to bolster finances."
– It seems difficult to solve fiscal issues with only public institutions. Are you also considering attracting corporations?
"There is a Sejong national industrial complex scheduled for completion in 2029 under the current plan. But corporations to move into the complex have not been decided yet. I declared that upon taking office I would place a container on the national industrial complex site and not return to city hall until a clear path for attracting corporations is set. If you build an industrial complex and corporations don't move in, you are committing a wrong against the citizens."
– The issue of unifying with the Rebuilding Korea Party candidate remains.
"I am not an individual candidate. Because I competed over months and was chosen by party members and citizens, I will follow the party-level discussions. The most important thing is the victory of the democratic camp."
☞ Who is Cho Sang-ho
Born in Seoul, he graduated from Konkuk University with a degree in public administration. Starting in 2005, he began working on the National Assembly staff. He continued his ties with Sejong, beginning as chief of staff to the Sejong mayor in 2017. In Sejong, he served as vice mayor for political affairs and vice mayor for economic affairs. Under the Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan's leadership in 2018, he served as director of the party's political coordination office. Last year, he was a deputy director at the Democracy Institute and a member of the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning.