Explained: Why South Korea’s president-elect wants to relocate the presidential office

Why does Yoon want to move the presidential office?

Yoon wants to move the presidential office from its current location to where South Korea’s defence ministry is presently located in Yongsang-gu, Seoul. He also wants to shift his official residence to Hannam-dong, a neighbourhood in the Yongsang-gu area, where several diplomats and foreign business executives live.

From the start of the presidential campaign, Yoon had cited several reasons for his move. One of the first that he had given during his campaign was that the present location of the presidential office in the heart of Seoul was closed off because of its layout. Back then, Yoon had said the move of the office was to ensure “better communication” with the public. During a press conference on Sunday, Yoon said that although the decision to move the office was “difficult”, he was doing so “for the future of the country”. A Reuters report quoted Yoon saying, “I earnestly ask the people to understand that this is not simply a relocation of the place but my determination to serve the people, work properly and keep my promise with the people.”

A building of the Defense Ministry is seen in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 21, 2022. (Im Hun-jung/Yonhap via AP)

What is the background to this?

During the campaign prior to his election, Yoon’s team had considered several sites in Seoul to serve as his new presidential office. Among those options, the country’s defence ministry in Yongsang-su was the top contender. In the early stages, Yoon had also mentioned moving his presidential office to the Seoul Government Complex area, located in central Seoul, not very far from where the Blue House stands.

But its proximity to subway stations and other security related issues posed a problem for a future presidential office. Yoon had pushed for the defence ministry compound even before his win, saying that the secure complex of the ministry and its environs would make it a possibility.

Back then, the Korea Herald newspaper had quoted Yoon’s aides saying that the defence ministry was already equipped with underground bunkers, helipads and landing areas, solving many questions about facilities that had initially come up.

What is the criticism?

Criticism against Yoon’s plans have arisen from several quarters, including from within political circles. One of the main questions that have been thrown up is whether it is possible to replicate the kind of security features that the current presidential office is already equipped with within the city.

The Democratic Party of Korea had criticised Yoon’s plans calling it “hasty” and a threat to national security. Kim Jong-dae, a military expert and former Justice Party lawmaker called it “outrageous’. “It’s incomprehensible, moving to the Ministry of Defence to get closer to the public. It just doesn’t make sense,” the Hankyoreh newspaper quoted Kim saying.

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“The Defence Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (locations) are military bases. How can citizens enter these places when security is stricter than at the Blue House?”, Kim had added. According to an Associated Press report, Yoon has said that defence ministry officials would be moved to the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in the compound, whose personnel would be moved in phases to a war command centre on the outskirts of Seoul.

Presently, the Cheong Wa Dae allows guided tours of the 62-acre presidential compound, with security in place. Kim had questioned whether the public would have the same access to Yoon’s presidential office if a shift eventually happened.

News reports in South Korea suggest that the country’s defence ministry is not too pleased with Yoon’s plans for this shift, because it would mean displacement for the ministry and its personnel.

It appears that Yoon is in a rush to make the shift to the proposed new location for his office before the inauguration ceremony on May 10. The Korea Herald had reported that some have questioned the rush, asking whether Yoon’s decision has to do with feng shui.

There are some who believe that bad feng shui is at work in the Blue House that has caused misfortune to its previous occupants— former presidents in South Korea have been impeached, engaged in corruption trials, imprisoned on various charges or have killed themselves after leaving office. But Yoon’s aides had dismissed these suggestions saying that he wanted to be closer to the people.

There have also been criticisms that Yoon’s plans to move to Yongsang-gu would drive property prices, making it difficult for ordinary residents, in addition to the security and logistical challenges that would arise.

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