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South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a press conference held on March 20 at in central Seoul regarding his plan to move the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan. (pool photo)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol stated Sunday that he will be moving the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense compound in Yongsan, making it clear that he will not be moving into the Blue House, which he called “a symbol of imperial authority.”

Having pledged on his campaign trail to usher in the “age of a Gwanghwamun president,” Yoon reneged on his promise within 11 days of his election. Yoon’s decision to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan comes without any gathering of public opinion or consensus-seeking. On this, Yoon said, “Relocating [the presidential office] to Gwanghwamun seemed like a disaster from the stance of the public after being briefed as the president-elect.”

Though Yoon announced that the process will cost about 49.6 billion won (US$40 million) in remodeling fees for the presidential office and moving fees for the Presidential Security Service, the move is projected to cost over 1 trillion won (US$824 million) in moving fees for the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), as well as sunk costs following the disposal of existing facilities and equipment for the purpose of the move.

Yoon announced his decision at a briefing at the office of his presidential transition committee in central Seoul’s Samcheong neighborhood. He explained, “The Defense Ministry and the JCS area of Yongsan are well-equipped with command facilities for national security, allows for the Blue House to be returned to the public completely, and doesn’t entail inconveniences for the public from security measures,” adding that “the Blue House will be opened and returned to the public on May 10, [Yoon’s] first day in office.”

Yoon continued that the Defense Ministry will move into the building right next to it currently housing the JCS, which will, in turn, relocate to the Capital Defense Command in Namtaeryeong, where the wartime command post is. He added that “[the criticism] that a military base moving will result in gaps in national defense is unconvincing.” Yoon also stated that conjectures that the relocation will cost 500 billion to 1 trillion won are “baseless,” maintaining that he is “planning to request 49.6 billion won in reserve funds, including 11.8 billion won for the Defense Ministry to move into the JCS building.”

Still, he added that “though there are views that it would be desirable to move the Ministry of National Defense to Gwacheon in the long run, right now is not the time to explain and decide on such views.” He also stressed that the JCS won’t be immediately moving to Namtaeryeong and didn’t include moving costs to the location in his total cost estimation for the relocation of the presidential office.

Though the agenda of relocating the presidential office has been rushed following Yoon’s election, stirring responses from the public as well as within the People Power Party that Yoon should slow down, Yoon seems to have made a final decision on his plan to set up shop in Yongsan amid concerns that slowing down may cause his agenda to lose steam completely. During the briefing, Yoon reiterated that “space controls the mindset,” emphasizing the need for an “end to the emperor-like authority of the president” and “communication with the public.”

He continued, “[The need to relocate the presidential office] is evident from past experiences in which former administrations attempted to move the office but failed time and time again. If I forsake my promise with the people, none of the subsequent presidents will find it easy to attempt [the move].

“I sincerely ask the people to understand my volition to put into practice my promise with them,” Yoon said.

But Yoon is facing fierce backlash concerning security gaps that may arise from the rushed move. The public remains to be persuaded of the unilateral decision as well. In a press briefing, Democratic Party emergency steering committee head Yun Ho-jung slammed Yoon’s decision as “the president-elect’s tyranny that wholly ignores the will of the people,” arguing that “the plan to relocate the presidential office that harms national security and violates the property rights of the public must be immediately retracted.”

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

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