hankyoreh

The exterior of the Ministry of National Defense building in Seoul’s Yongsan District can be seen in this undated file photo. (Yonhap News)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has reportedly settled on setting up his presidential office in the Ministry of National Defense building in Seoul’s Yongsan District and is already making relevant arrangements, with the Defense Ministry scheduled to vacate its main building by the end of the month.

Amid unstable security situations domestically and abroad due to North Korea’s missile launches and the war in Ukraine, rushed preparations for Yoon’s move into the Defense Ministry building are prompting concerns that the process will result in gaps in South Korea’s military readiness.

Yoon’s spokesperson, Kim Eun-hye, stated in a briefing Wednesday that there is “zero chance” that Yoon will move into the Blue House, adding that “several possible locations including Yongsan are being considered” as the potential home of Yoon’s presidential office.

“I can decidedly say that, upon his inauguration, [Yoon] will be able to address the nation at a new presidential office on May 10,” Kim continued in the briefing.

While Yoon is speeding up his initiative to take the presidential office out of the Blue House, steps are already being taken on the ground to prepare for the relocation of the presidential office under the assumption that Yoon will set up his office in the Ministry of National Defense building.

Reporting by the Hankyoreh has found that departments in the Defense Ministry, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) that will be affected by the relocation have been notified of the specifics of the move such as location and scheduling.

According to multiple government and military officials at these departments, the Ministry of National Defense’s main building will be vacated by the end of March, after which the building will be remodeled through April, with Yoon scheduled to set up shop there in early May.

A government official in the defense sector said, “We were informed to pack up and move out of our current office by next week.”

If the presidential office is relocated to the main building of the Ministry of National Defense, offices within the Defense Ministry, the JCS, and the DAPA will have to be relocated in turn. Reportedly, the offices of the minister and vice minister of defense as well as offices of various ministry departments currently located in the main building of the ministry will relocate to the building’s annex and the JCS building. Additionally, departments currently located in the Defense Ministry annex will be moving their offices to the former DAPA building, located in the Huam neighborhood of Seoul’s Yongsan District.

A source who previously worked at the Blue House said, “Yoon is pushing to [move the presidential office] out of the Blue House in the name of open communication with the citizenry, but public access to the Ministry of National Defense building area is limited due to military security concerns. I’m skeptical about Yongsan as the appropriate location for communication with the people.”

An official with the military also commented, “The leadership of the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff relocating its offices successively at a similar time period may result in gaps in communication and command that can create problems in South Korea’s military readiness posture.”

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter; Choi Ha-yan, staff reporter

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