서울은 정치적 수도로서뿐 아니라 정신적이며 상징적 중심지가 되어왔다. 그러나 지나친 수도권 편중현상은 수도권과 비수도권간의 지역간 격차를 유발하였으며 경제적으로는 집적의 불이익을 초래하고 있다. 행정수도이전 문제는 과도한 수도권집중 문제와 지역간 격차문제를 해소할 수 있는 획기적 방안으로 제시되어 왔으며, 다양한 견해가 표출되고 있다. 행정수도이전 이후 서울의 위상정립문제는 오늘날 국제사회에서 도시 경쟁력확보의 중요성을 비추어 논의될 필요가 있다. 본 논문은 현대의 도시환경을 세계화, 후기산업화, 네트워크화된 사회가 출현되는 것으로 정리하고, 각 경향의 중심개념으로 유연성, 상호연결성, 상호의존성, 개방성등으로 제시하였으며, 이런 도시환경의 변화에 비추어 다음과 같이 서울의 위상정립의 과제를 제시하였다. 1) 네트워크화된 산업클러스터의 육성, 2) 다국적기업 본부의 유치와 경제적 중추기능을 유치하기 위한 도시의 질적 제고, 3) 혁신환경의 조성을 위한 도시기반 네트워크의 구축, 4) 도시문제의 극복을 통한 도시의 매력도 증대, 5) 과감한 비수도권으로의 중복기능이전과 지역간 연계망 구축을 통한 상생의 전략 추구, 6) 자족생활권 구축을 위한 다핵심구조로의 전환, 7) 문화와 환경의 질적 제고를 통한 경쟁력 확보.
Seoul has been the capital city of Korea as political center as well as mental and symbolic center for the Koreans. The over-concentration of urban functions and national wealth into the capital region has led not only to unbalanced regional disparities between capital region and non-capital region, but also to negative agglomeration effect in Seoul. The relocation of administrative capital to other non-capital region can be regarded as the nationwide effort not only to solve this interregional disparities, but also to lead more balanced development in the Korean peninsula. There has been so much discussion about the impacts of administrative capital relocation since then. However, it is necessary to discuss the changing role and identity of Seoul after administrative capital is relocated out of Seoul. Considering the rapid changes of urban environment, this paper summarizes the recent shifts of surrounding environment into post-industrial society, network society, and globalized society centering around the concepts of flexibility, interconnectedness, interdependency, and openness. The role of Seoul is needed to be directed and identified by concerning these general trends as follows; First, specialized clusters such as bio-industry, fashion industry, motion picture industry can promote the regional competitiveness of Seoul with interconnected industrial network. Second, high command and control functions can increase the worldwide competitiveness of Seoul in the globalizing world. The refinement of urban amenity and quality of urban life may support attraction of headquarters of transnational corporations and worldwide institutions into Seoul. Third, in relation to network society, urban development should be directed to establish information infrastructure for sound and creative innovation milieu. Fourth, Seoul should minimize the negative impacts of globalization by solving confronting urban problems such as poverty, traffic congestion, housing shortage, and unemployment that create dual city problems. The key issue lies on how to create the attractiveness of Seoul. Fifth, interregional interdependency should be maximized by decentralization of redundant functions to non-capital region in concerns of comparative advantages within the urban systems. The win-win strategies needed to be implemented in creating interregional linkages. Sixth, Seoul may develop multi-centered urban structure desirable for modern metropolis by reducing journey-to-work traffic and stabilizing living zone with urban diversity. Seventh, both cultural dimension and environmental dimension should be considered in the direction of urban development in order to increase urban attractiveness and competitiveness.