Independent lawmaker renews push for KDB move to Busan in Facebook post
Warns Lee government's semiconductor pledge for Honam region could meet same fate
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon on Sunday renewed his call for the relocation of Korea Development Bank's headquarters to Busan.
In a Facebook post, Han criticized the Lee Jae Myung administration, writing that "the 'promise' to relocate Korea Development Bank to Busan must be kept" and that "the Lee Jae Myung administration has abandoned that promise."
Han also warned: "If this is how things go, the Lee government's semiconductor promise for the Honam region will be abandoned just the same when the next administration takes over."
The government and the ruling party are understood to be moving away from pursuing the relocation of Korea Development Bank's headquarters to Busan.
Earlier, Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eok-won responded to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Park Sung-hoon at last month's comprehensive national audit of the FSC by the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee. Lee said he understood that the relocation plan "had been in progress but was wrapped up in the National Assembly, and that it was settled as something that would not go forward."
When Park followed up by asking whether the government was still pursuing the relocation of Korea Development Bank's headquarters to Busan, Lee said he understood "the relocation issue had been settled quite some time ago."
The government and the ruling party are reportedly leaning toward consolidating Korea Development Bank, Industrial Bank of Korea, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Financial Supervisory Service in Yeouido to create a financial hub.
The idea of relocating Korea Development Bank to Busan has been debated since the Roh Moo-hyun administration but has been in effect adrift for nearly two decades.
The Lee Jae Myung government has also floated a proposal to establish a southeastern regional investment bank as an alternative to relocating Korea Development Bank to Busan.
shindw@heraldcorp.com
