Kim Jong-dae on Yoon's Office Relocation Pledge: "A Promise That Won't Be Fulfilled Anyway"

Yoon's Side: "Zero Chance of Entering Cheongwadae... Candidate Sites Including Yongsan Under Review"
Kim Jong-dae: "Presidential Security and Safety Are Not the Only Reasons for Cheongwadae's Existence"

Former Justice Party lawmaker Kim Jong-dae. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is considering relocating the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 16th, military expert and former Justice Party lawmaker Kim Jong-dae criticized this plan as "nonsense."

Former lawmaker Kim posted on his Facebook that day, opening with, "The nonsense that the president will move into the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense. What is the Blue House? The Blue House does not exist solely for the president's security and safety."

He explained, "The Blue House has a crisis management center within a five-minute running distance where the president can manage national natural disasters, security crises, and social unrest. It is a system built over a long period with hundreds of billions of won invested in an underground bunker." He added, "Also, the Blue House has a communications unit that ensures the president's communications operate even in emergencies when national communications and logistics are paralyzed."

He continued, "The Security Office does not simply handle presidential security but establishes cooperative relationships with the military and police to prepare for emergencies. The Blue House is not just a space where the president works but the last bastion of national safety," explaining, "Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun did not enter the Blue House because they wanted to but because of national safety demands."

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is moving from his office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul to a restaurant for lunch on the afternoon of the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, former lawmaker Kim called the reports that President-elect Yoon is considering relocating to the Ministry of National Defense building "absurd," pointing out, "If this is true, the president currently has no means to manage national crises."

He said, "The expensive facilities and functions of the Blue House would become useless. There is an explanation that since the Joint Chiefs of Staff bunker is near the Ministry of National Defense, it can better manage crises, but that is ignorant talk," adding, "The Joint Chiefs bunker is currently a facility for military command, so it is cramped for the president to enter with key national figures and aides. Will they kick out all the soldiers in an emergency? Will the National Security Council meet standing up? If a bunker is necessary, the president should go to the Capital Defense Command, not the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan."

He further criticized, "Where should the Ministry of National Defense go then? Gwacheon Government Complex? Truly ridiculous claim," arguing, "If the Ministry moves in, security at the building will be tightened, and construction for protective facilities will have to be redone. Billions of won will be wasted. Also, various regulations on the surroundings will lead to strong opposition from Gwacheon citizens."

Moreover, he stated, "Moving the presidential office is a national event. Such a serious matter was dismissed with a single phrase, 'I won't move in.' The administration to be launched in two months has become a tenant refugee running around unable to find a house," criticizing, "Can the nation be so unstable? Who wants the next president to become a laughingstock like this?"

Finally, former lawmaker Kim concluded, "It seems there is no one around the president-elect to speak frankly. That's why the spokesperson says almost crazy things," adding, "There is no amateur like this amateur. It is a story that will never come true anyway. Please feel free to review it thoroughly."

Earlier, the president-elect's side stated that morning regarding the presidential office relocation, "The possibility of moving into the Blue House is zero."

Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye of the president-elect said at a daily briefing at the People Power Party central office in Yeouido, "We are currently reviewing several candidate sites, including Yongsan," adding, "President-elect Yoon declared political reform and coming out of the current Blue House is due to a long-standing will that entering the people and communication are important."

Currently, the president-elect's side is actively considering relocating the presidential office from the existing Blue House to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan. The Government Seoul Office in Gwanghwamun and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building are also being mentioned as candidate sites.