South Korea's Constitutional Court Thursday ruled that a government plan to relocate the nation's capital is unconstitutional. The ruling, which is seen as a major blow to President Roh Moo-hyun, was supported by eight of the nine judges and required the government to first put the subject to a referendum. The new location of the government was chosen to alleviate population growth in Seoul and to move away from the tense border with North Korea. Opponents of the plan cite the significant costs as well as a reconsideration of the issue if North and South Korea are unified. The planned move and construction is estimated to cost $45 billion. Read background on the new capital here. South Korea's JoongAng Daily has local coverage. BBC has more.