By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

A large majority of foreign ambassadors to Seoul recommend to drop the plan for the relocation of the nation’s capital to South of Seoul as it will not benefit the nation, according to a recent survey by The Korea Times.

The survey, which was conducted last week on 21 foreign ambassadors out of 81 currently stationed in South Korea on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of The Korea Times, showed that 68 percent of the respondents judged the project would not be beneficial for South Korea.



Many diplomats indicated the capital relocation plan is shortsighted without any consideration of the possible unification of the two Koreas in the future. Only 32 percent of them cited some benefits of the plan including balanced regional development and decentralization of Seoul and its vicinity.
Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled the special law governing the project unconstitutional, which prompted President Roh Moo-hyun to seek other measures toward balanced development across the nation immediately.

The poll also revealed 76 percent of the foreign envoys think South Korea should abandon the controversial National Security Law rather than retain it. The abolitionists cited human rights abuses imposed by the anti-communist law on the pro-democracy activists and opposition leaders under the past authoritarian regimes.

The National Security Law has recently become the most serious political bone of contention as the ruling Uri Party is set to scrap it this month in the face of the Grand National Party’s strong opposition to the move.

Through the opinion polls, the foreign envoys expressed their views against the South Korean government’s non-intervention policy toward worsening human rights situation in North Korea.

An overwhelming 85 percent of the respondents said Seoul should bring up Pyongyang’s human rights problem with the communist country whenever possible while 10 percent of them wanted Seoul to continue to remain silent on it. Only 5 percent recommended South Korea should consider sanctions on the North to improve its human rights situation.

So far Seoul has turned a deaf ear to human rights groups, both domestic and international, despite their long and consistent claim that the South Korean government should not sit idle on deteriorating human rights problems in the North.

Asked if the ongoing standoff over North Korea’s nuclear crisis can be resolved diplomatically in the near future, 75 percent answered positively, showing high expectations for the six-nation talks.

Interestingly, 40 percent of the envoys saw the Unites States as the biggest stumbling block to a peaceful resolution of North Korea’s nuclear crisis while 53 percent blamed North Korea.

In this survey, China is seen to be emerging as the most significant country to South Korea both politically and economically, according to 63 percent, putting South Korea’s long and close ally the U.S. in the second place, according to 23 percent of respondents.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr