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Foreign press sources reported Thursday that Korea¡¯s Constitutional Curt ruling against a capital relocation bill has delivered a major blow to President Roh Moo-Hyun's administration.
Both the Associated Press and the German press agency, DPA, said that the court ruling was a setback for the president, who had pushed for the capital relocation plan without calling for a national referendum. The ruling has effectively suspended the plan for now, marking a watershed in the months-old political bickering over the proposed move.
Reuters reported that the Korean president suffered a major political setback due to the court's decision. For the president to proceed with his capital relocation plan now, he must first draft a new proposal and then submit it to the National Assembly. The court said that the reworked proposal would have to satisfy constitutional demands, adding that a public referendum on the subject was still being considered. Shares of construction and cement companies fell on Korea¡¯s main stock exchange after investors caught wind of the court ruling.
AFP said that Korea¡¯s Constitutional Court had derailed President Roh Moo-hyun¡¯s plan to relocate the country¡¯s capital city because it would have been unconstitutional. The news agency quoted the court ruling as saying the plan to move the capital should be put to a national referendum.
(Lee Chul-min, chulmin@chosun.com )
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