The Marmot’s Hole

The Chosun has a lovely little editorial today, posted or updated just before midnight, about today’s biggest news. I imagine they must have been cracking open some crates of bubbly over there tonight (oh Marmot, where were you?) in celebration. Perhaps that goes some way towards explaining the irrational exuberance of the title of this editorial: Constitutional Court Puts an End to Capital Relocation Controversy. If there’s one thing I think most people (when sober) can agree on, its that the controversy is only just picking up. This fight is far from being over.

Much as I dislike the Grand National Party, and I am not a fan of Chosun media conglomerate, but I had to agree with this:

The problem of locating a capital, playing a pivotal political and administrative role of a state, is practically a constitutional matter expressing the state’s identity, the panel said. Although the constitution does not have a provision identifying Seoul as the capital, a dictionary meaning of Seoul is ‘capital.’ That Seoul is the capital is an ongoing convention formed by a 600-year tradition started in the Chosun Dynasty. The convention has continued long without change and is a fundamental part of the national life, with the approval and consensus of the people, the panel said. The Constitutional Court verdict says that if the government intends to push ahead with the capital relocation, the government should amend the Constitution first.

But as a revision of the Constitution requires approval by two-thirds of the National Assembly and a majority support in a referendum, the government can no longer keep pushing the capital relocation, unless it is consented to by the Grand National Party.

Moving the capital is such a big move that a referendum on the issue is really required, in my humble opinion. And moving the capital southwards - what would that mean after unification? Would it be moved again? It’s all a bit dodgy if you ask me.

One of my bosses said the other month at a business meeting that he was pretty sure that the relocation would never actually happen. His reasoning? The building is not due to start until 2007, and the move until later (2011 or 2012). Now, laying aside the fact that I saw a fellow at my local subway station on Monday holding a very large sign saying that the world would end in 2012, my part-time boss suggested that since the next presidential election is also in 2007, whichever candidate supported the capital move would automatically become the loser, since that person would give up the votes of a majority of 20 million voters from Seoul and environs (the so-called ‘????????’).

And now thanks to this Constitutional Court decision, it is looking even less likely. It is a little concerning though, to see that President Roh and his Blue House are “examining the validity of the ruling.” Is this what the Chosun editorial was talking about when it said ” In this respect, it is quite inappropriate for the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman to say that it is difficult to answer whether the government will respect the Constitutional Court’s decision or not.”?