Lee expresses hope 'science belt' will lead S. Korea's future

(ATTN: UPDATES with background, comments in last 6 paras)
SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak expressed hope Monday that South Korea's "science-business belt" project will promote the country's science and technology and lead the nation to a better future, an official said, after a government-led committee decided to set up the complex in the central city of Daejeon.
Earlier, the science business belt selection committee said the Daedeok district in the northern part of Daejeon, located 164 kilometers south of Seoul, will host the National Basic Science Institute and a particle accelerator aimed at helping South Korea take the lead in cutting-edge technologies.
"I hope the science belt will contribute to the promotion of science so as to become the future" of South Korea, Lee said at a meeting with senior aides, according to presidential spokeswoman Kim Hee-jung.
The 3.5 trillion won project, along with another project to relocate the headquarters of a major state corporation, has been the focus of much attention after the government scrapped a new airport project last month citing the lack of economic viability.
A number of regional governments had vied for the project, believing it could boost their economies, which fueled regional rivalries and division as a result.
The project had originally been one of Lee's campaign pledges in the 2007 presidential race.
Last year, it came under the spotlight after the government said it would award the project to the central province of Chungcheong, which includes Daejeon, if the province agreed to scrap another massive state project to relocate a series of government offices there from Seoul.
But the government's attempt to scrap the relocation project was later voted down in parliament, and the science belt project had since been up in the air.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik asked for the people's understanding of the government's decision, stressing that Daejeon, which is already home to many research institutes, was considered the best site for maximizing the state's science and technology capabilities.
Presidential aides also stressed that no political considerations weighed in the decision.
"The result came out of considerations that this is a state project for the sake of the future" of the country, an official said on condition of anonymity. "This should not be taken as a special favor to a certain region."
jschang@yna.co.kr