The £15bn city meant to be country’s capital but ‘not enough are moving there'

South Korea has rapidly developed into a thriving modern economy in recent decades, and it is now home to more than 50million people and complex cities.

Seoul is the country's capital. It has a population of nearly 10million, and occupies 233.69 square miles.

But South Korea has a "planned capital" - Sejong City.

Officials proposed the relocation of the state's capital in 2002, in an effort to reduce congestion in Seoul.

The Korea Times reported in 2022 that there is a plan to "transfer major components of the National Assembly to Sejong and set up a second presidential office" there by 2027.

Sejong, named after King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty, was officially founded in 2007, and combines the regions of South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong to form a larger settlement on a long and relatively narrow strip of land.

Government bodies then began moving there from elsewhere in 2012.

Although, in spite of official efforts to persuade South Koreans to relocate to Sejong City, its residential population remains relatively low.

In previous years, officials have focused on housing for young residents and public servants - "a priority long neglected due to a rush of government projects that centered on constructing ministry buildings and the bare minimum of commercial districts nearby", the Korean Times reports.

There have also been measures to attract businesses into the city. The population remains quite low reportedly because many government employees prefer to commute into the city by train or bus. They often come from Seoul, which is 70 miles away.

It is believed that this is, in some part at least, because of the quality of public transportation in Sejong, including the lack of a metro system.

However, 2029 has been the proposed opening date of an 8.7-mile five-station extension of the Daejeon Maetro Line 1 from Banseok to Sejong.

The city is also reportedly lacking in train stations, with the nearest railway stop in Osong.

Moreover, the public bus system is not considered to be the best, which means residents tend to use their private vehicles to get about.

The OECD said in a 2017 report: "Sejong struggles to put in place innovative solutions in terms of bus rapid transit (BRT), cycling and a public bus operation system to meet citizens’ transport demand."

The current strategy, it adds, "might fit a more 'mature' city with a larger population, [but] it might not be economically viable in a four-year old city which might not have the capacity to provide public transport with a satisfactory level of frequency and connectivity".

The document also said that the city government is focusing on increasing the supply of public transport overall.

According to records, as of July 2024, the population of Sejong City was 394,630.

There is clearly a long way to go for that figure to come close to Seoul.

Sejong City hopes to attract 500,000 residents by 2030, bsi says.