Ahead of Yoon Suk-yeol's presidential election victory, the conservative candidate promised in a campaign speech to forge ahead with a plan to relocate South Korea's capital from Seoul.
When Yoon takes office in May, his government is expected to follow through on plans to invest heavily in new cultural, educational and medical infrastructure in Sejong.
Located 125km south of Seoul, construction on the site planned site for the new South Korean capital began in 2007. Sejong was granted legal status as a "special self-governing city" in 2012.
As president, Yoon has promised to transfer major components of the National Assembly to the new city, support the creation of special economic zones in surrounding areas to attract foreign investment and create state-of-the-art technology and research institutes to attract the top scientists.
Yoon also envisages business opportunities for entrepreneurs and media organizations and a second presidential office to operate in parallel with the present administration before Sejong becomes the full seat of the government at some point in the future.
In honor of King Sejong
Sejong takes its name from King Sejong the Great, who ruled the Joseon Dynasty for 53 years from 1397.
The idea of moving the capital from Seoul was first proposed by former-President Roh Moo-hyun in 2003.
Roh sought to share the wealth and influence that had become concentrated in Seoul with other parts of the country, encourage regional development and reduce some of the chronic over-crowding that continues to plague the present capital.
However, the original plan has hit a series of roadblocks that have slowed progress.
Subsequent presidents had less enthusiasm for the project, business leaders have also resisted the idea, and there was even a legal challenge that went all the way to the Constitutional Court in 2004.
Nevertheless, there has been a gradual migration of government institutes and agencies to the city, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Environment. The most influential organs of the state — including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Defense Ministry – are still firmly rooted in Seoul.
Sejong city currently has a population of just over 360,000.
"Discussions on moving the government to Sejong have been going on for a while and it would appear to be a good idea as other countries have done something similar in the past," said Dan Pinkston, a professor of international relations at the Seoul campus of Troy University.
Pinkston cited the creation of the new city of Brasilia as the capital of Brazil and Canberra in Australia.
"The concern is that too much is concentrated in the small area around Seoul – the government, the bureaucracy, business, finance, culture, entertainment – and that has lead to over-crowding, traffic, pollution and not benefited the vast majority of the country," he told DW.