Sejong (; ), officially the Sejong Special Self-Governing City (), is a special self-governing city and ''de facto'' administrative capital of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. Sejong was founded in 2007 as the new

planned capital A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

of South Korea from many parts of the

South Chungcheong South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located i ...

province and some parts of

North Chungcheong North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the ...

province to ease congestion in South Korea's current capital and largest city,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, and encourage investment in the country's central region. Since 2012, the

government of South Korea The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...

has relocated numerous ministries and agencies to Sejong, but many still reside in other cities, primarily Seoul, where the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

and many important government bodies remain. Sejong has a population of 351,007 as of 2020 and covers a geographic area of 465.23 km² (179.63

sq mi The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...

), making it the least-populous and smallest first-level

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

in South Korea. Sejong is located in the west-central

Hoseo Hoseo (; literally "west of the lake") is a region coinciding with the former Chungcheong Province in what is now South Korea. Today, the term refers to Daejeon, Sejong City, South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong Provinces. Hoseo people use Chu ...

region, bordering South Chungcheong to the west,

Daejeon Metropolitan City Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology and ...

to the south, and North Chungcheong to the east. The construction of the city is expected to be completed in 2030, at which time 500,000 people are expected to live there.

Name

Sejong was named in honor of King Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

and creator of the Korean alphabet,

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

. The city was formed by combining Yeongi County, the county of South Chungcheong Province from which the majority of the city's territory was ceded, and other counties.

History

In 2003, then-President

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

sought to relocate the national capital of South Korea from the metropolitan city of Seoul to a new multifunctional administrative city in the center of the country. The goal was to reduce the influence and dominance of Seoul on national governance and economics, whilst promoting the regional development of other areas of the country. According to the former Interior Minister Maeng Hyung-gyu in 2012, "Sejong is a symbol of the country's efforts toward more balanced regional development," helping to decongest Seoul and spur investment in the country's central region. In October 2004, the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

dealt a setback to President Roh's plans, ruling that the capital must remain in Seoul in response to a complaint filed by the main opposition, the conservative

Grand National Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Hanna ...

. As such, the Roh administration was forced to modify the project to relocate the majority of government ministries and institutions to Sejong, which would become a special administrative city instead of a new capital. The revised plan was approved by the National Assembly in March 2005. Challenges to the new plan were rejected by the Constitutional Court in November 2005. When the Grand National Party retook the presidential office in 2008, then-President Lee Myung-bak opposed the idea of moving government agencies, claiming that it would hurt Seoul's global competitiveness and result in inefficiency. Following Lee's directions, plans were made to make Sejong an industrial, science and education hub instead. This plan was opposed by many, including Roh's allies and some members of the ruling Grand National Party, including Lee's arch-rival and eventual successor,

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges. Park was the fi ...

. Defeat in the mid-2010 local elections forced Lee to present his proposal to the National Assembly where it was voted down. In July 2012, Sejong Special Self-Governing City was created by combining all of Yeongi County, three townships of

Gongju Gongju ([]; Gongju-si) is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun ...

and one township of

Cheongwon County Cheongwon County (''Cheongwon-gun'') was a county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It was dissolved on July 1, 2014 and consolidated to Cheongju. Cheongwon was twinned with: * Cangzhou, Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately ...

. In April 2013, the city government of Putrajaya,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term sh ...

(LOI) with the government of Sejong City to mark cooperation between the two planned capitals. , 12 ministries were relocated to the city. As such, only 5 ministries continue to remain in Seoul; the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs,

Ministry of Unification The Ministry of Unification is an executive department of the South Korean government aimed at promoting Korean reunification. It was first established in 1969 as the ''National Unification Board'', under the rule of Park Chung-hee. It gained its ...

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

Ministry of National Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, and

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (), or formerly the Ministry of Gender Equality (여성부, 女性部, ), is a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. It was created on February 28, 1998 as the ''Presidential Commissio ...

Sejong was specifically designed to be a "

smart city A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in retur ...

", and is sometimes referred to as Sejong smart city. It is the leading smart city in Korea, and is often held up as the standard for other cities experimenting with the development of smart city infrastructure. By 2019, there was disagreement among experts as to whether Sejong had "lived up to expectations. ...Sejong uses its new development to market itself as an alternative to Seoul, offering luxury living at a fraction of the cost. It boasts shiny state-of-the-art condominiums, ample public green space and smart and sustainable city tech, like automated trash collection and zero-waste food disposal, electric car charging and sharing stations, solar-powered buildings, interactive digital signage, closed-circuit television security and fine dust emergency alerts. thas sparked criticism that the new city is not only too lackluster to draw residents away from Seoul, but also difficult to access and poorly designed."

Geography

Sejong is surrounded by the two provinces of

Chungcheongnam-do South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located in ...

, and

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the ...

, as well as the metropolitan city of

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology an ...

. It is about south from

.Harlan, Chico (Contributing: Yoonjung Seo)
With new Sejong City, South Korean government aims to rebalance power
" ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

''. 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."

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.

Climate

Sejong City has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Dwa''), but can be considered a borderline humid subtropical climate (

: ''Cwa'') using the isotherm.

Administrative divisions

The 10 haengjeong-dong and Jochiwon-eup is the city main urban center. Sejong is divided into 12 '' haengjeong-dong'' (administrative neighborhood), 1 '' eup'' (town) and 9 '' myeon'' (townships). Sejong BRT Viaduct

;* Notes: There are no

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

for Hansol, Dodam, Areum, Goun, Boram, Serom, Sodam, Dajeong, or Haemil as they are native Korean words.

Population and demographics

The city aimed to have a population of 200,000 in 2012, 300,000 by 2020 and 500,000 by 2030. As of 2017, Sejong had a population of 281,120.Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors For International Use Republic of Korea, Second Edition
p. 39. , Sejong had a higher proportion of children compared to the South Korean average. As of June 30, 2020, Sejong has a population of 351,007.

Religion

The census from 2015 indicated that the majority of Sejong residents did not belong to any particular religion. Protestantism was the most common religion with around 19.9% of the population being adherents, followed by Buddhism at 13.9% and Roman Catholicism at 7.9%.

Government and infrastructure

The South Korean government plans to move 36 government ministries and agencies to Sejong City. Government Complex Sejong is located in Sejong City. The complex, on a plot of land, has seven stories and one basement. Construction began in November 2011 in what was

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located in ...

, 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. Government Complex Sejong includes the head offices of: *Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) * Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) *

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

(MOE) *

Ministry of Science and ICT The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT; ; Hanja: 科學技術情報通信部) is a ministry of the government of South Korea. It succeeded the former Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. The headquarters was originally in Gwacheon, Gyeong ...

(MSIT) *

Ministry of the Interior and Safety The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS, ) is a branch of the Government of South Korea. The headquarters are in Sejong City. It is responsible for national administration, management of government organizations, and e-government. Furthermo ...

(MOIS) *

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is a central government agency responsible for the areas of tourism, culture, art, religion, and sports. It has two vice ministers, three assistant ministers, one commission, and ...

(MCST) * Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) * Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) * Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) * Ministry of Environment (ME) *

Ministry of Employment and Labor South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL, 고용노동부) is a cabinet-level ministry overseeing labor affairs. Its predecessor agency, the Division of Labor, was established under the direction of the Minister of Social Affairs (� ...

(MOEL) * Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) *

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF, ko, 대한민국 해양수산부), is a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. It takes overall responsibilities for maritime and fisheries sectors in general, ranging from the promoti ...

(MOF) *

Ministry of SMEs and Startups The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부, 中小벤처企業部) is a ministry of the Republic of Korea, established in July 2017 by the Moon Jae-in government. It succeeds the former Small and Medium Business Administration (중� ...

(MSS) * Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) * Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) *

Ministry of Government Legislation The Ministry of Government Legislation () is a ministry under the Prime Minister of South Korea. The headquarters are in Sejong. History In the early era of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the Geum-sang-jo-rye-sa under Eui-jeong-bu was in char ...

(MOLEG) * National Tax Service (NTS) *

National Agency for Administrative City Construction The National Agency for Administrative City Construction (, NAACC) is an organization under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport responsible for completing the Multifunctional Administrative City (MAC) in Sejong City. It was founde ...

(NAACC) * Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) *

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission The Korean Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) was launched on February 29, 2008 by merging three related government entities: the Ombudsman of Korea, the Korea Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Administrative Appea ...

(ACRC) Several MOLIT agencies, the

Korea Office of Civil Aviation The Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA) ( ko, 대한민국 국토교통부 항공정책실) is the South Korean civil aviation authority. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). The head office is in the ...

(KOCA), the

Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal The Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST, ko, 해양안전심판원) is an agency of the government of South Korea that investigates maritime accidents. Its head office is in the in Sejong City. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Land, Infra ...

(KMST), and the

Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board The Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB, ko, 항공ㆍ철도사고조사위원회) is an agency of the South Korean government that investigates aviation and railway accidents, subservient to the Ministry of Land, Infrastruc ...

(ARAIB), have their headquarters in Government Complex Sejong.

Culture

Sejong Lake Park was completed in March 2013 and has various theme facilities in the park, including the square fountain. The size is 705,768m² and the lake area is 322,800m². The National Sejong Arboretum is the first urban arboretum in Korea and the largest indoor arboretum in Korea. There are 1.72 million plants of 2834 species available. There is an admission fee of 5,000 won for adults.

Educational facilities

Universities * KDI School of Public Policy and Management *

Hongik University Hongik University (, colloquially ''Hongdae'') is a private university in Seoul, South Korea. Founded by an activist in 1946, the university is located in Mapo-gu district of central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus(branch campus) in S ...

Korea University Sejong Campus Korea University Sejong Campus is Korea University's second campus. It was established in Jochiwon, Yeongi County(later annexed to Jochiwon District of Sejong City, the governmental capital of South Korea), South Korea South Korea, o ...

Global Consortium University Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * Global (Paul van Dyk album), ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * Global (Bunji Garlin album), ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * Global (Humanoid album), ''Gl ...

* Daejeon Catholic University * Korea University of Media Arts Senior high schools Sejong_National_Research_Complex

Bugang Engineering High School ''Bugang'' is a Daoist ritual dance or walk, based upon the ''Yubu'' "Steps of Yu" tradition, in which a Taoist priest paces through a supernatural pattern, such as stars in the Big Dipper or numbers in the Lo Shu Square, Loshu magic square. Tex ...

Hansol High School Hansol is a South Korean conglomerate, or chaebol. The corporation's main operations are paper products, electronics, chemicals, logistics, IT technology and solution services, household interiors, and construction. Hansol used to be a part of ...

Sejong Global High School Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

Sejong Girls' High School Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean language, Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean language, Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of th ...

* Sejong High School *

Seongnam High School Seongnam () is the fourth largest Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. Seongnam is a satellite city o ...

or Sungnam High SchoolLocation
"
Archive
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Retrieved on January 1, 2014. "Adress : 402 Hannuri-daero, Sejong-si, 339-012, Republic of Korea" + Areum High School + Dodam High School

Transportation

Air

Sejong is served by

Cheongju International Airport Cheongju International Airport (Hangul: 청주국제공항; Hanja: 淸州國際空港; Revised Romanization: Cheongju Gukje Gonghang; McCune-Reischauer: Ch'ŏngju Kukche Konghang) is an international airport in Cheongwon-gu, South Korea. It als ...

Cheongju Cheongju () is the capital and largest city of North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. History Cheongju has been an important provincial town since ancient times. In the Cheongju Mountains, specifically in the one where Sangdang Sanseong is ...

, the nearest airport to Sejong.

National railway

Sejong is centrally located on

Gyeongbu Line The Gyeongbu Line (''Gyeongbuseon'') is a railway line in South Korea and is considered to be the most important and one of the oldest ones in the country. It was constructed in 1905, connecting Seoul with Busan via Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu ...

operated by Korail. It's a 90-minute journey on the

Mugunghwa-ho The Mugunghwa-ho is a class of train operated by Korail, main railway operator of South Korea. Mugunghwa trains are Korail's slowest tier of trains stopping at a number of towns and villages, and operating over a number of lines that are not se ...

and trains run approximately every 30 minutes. Located just outside Jochiwon-eup limits in Osong, Cheongwon has a KTX station named

Osong Station Osong station is a train station on the Honam and Gyeongbu high-speed railways in Cheongju City, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at the intersection of the Gyeongbu KTX high-speed rail line, the conventional Chungbuk Line ...

which is a

Korea Train Express Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...

bullet train that frequently travels . Osong station opened in 2010. There has also been some debate concerning opening another KTX station within the new Sejong City close to the bus terminal to the south. Sejong lake park 190609 09

Daejeon subway Line 1

In April 2019, a feasibility study was completed and approved an extension of Daejeon Metro Line 1 from Banseok station in Daejeon, accessing the southern bus terminal in Sejong, and ending at the Government Complex Sejong. Of the five new stations that are set to open over the new 14 km of tracks, four of which will be in Sejong. Opening is tentatively set for 2029.

In popular culture

The 2015

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

television series ''

Let's Eat 2 ''Let's Eat 2'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoon Doo-joon, Seo Hyun-jin and Kwon Yul. It aired on tvN from April 6 to June 2, 2015 for 18 episodes. This is the second season of 2013 '' Let's Eat'' series, with Yoon Doo-joo ...

'' was based in Sejong. During the month of April, various Sejong Spring Festival festivals will be held in various places in the city such as cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, and flower arrangements. Open the 7th cherry blossom festival. On the 14th, we will hold the 'Daehwangang and Ewha Rangwang Hanmadang' on the theme of peach blossoms and flower blossoms. The 2018 Peace Spring Flower Festival of the Sejong Restoration Center will be held under the sponsorship of the Jochiwon, Peach Festival Promotion Committee. It was prepared as a five-sensory satisfaction program to enjoy and enjoy nature such as peach flower, pear flower, rape blossom, and to escape from the performance-oriented festival method.

Gallery

File:Sejong-si BRT Hyundai BlueCity.jpg, Sejong City's BRT File:Sejong Public Bicycle Ouling at Government Complex Sejong.jpg, Public bicycle in Sejong City File:First APT in Sejong City.jpg, Construction in Sejong City, November 2009

References

External links

*
Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency (MACCA)
{{coord, 36.487002, 127.282234, display=t, type:city_region:KR-50 Planned capitals Planned cities in South Korea Self-governance Smart cities 2007 establishments in South Korea