Yoon's 'Office Relocation' Pledge... Defense Ministry Canteen Owner Calls Closure Notice a Sudden Shock - 청와대 Petition

"President-elect Yoon, what about our livelihood..." Petition from Ministry of National Defense Canteen Owner

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is moving to a nearby restaurant for lunch while talking with Kim Han-gil, Chairman of the National Unity Committee, at the President-elect's office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 17th. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is considering relocating the presidential office to the new Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 17th, a small business owner operating a convenience store in the building appealed to retract the relocation plan.

On the same day, a petition titled "Relocation of the Blue House" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. This petition has met the requirement of over 100 preliminary consents and is currently under administrator review.

The petitioner, Mr. A, who identified himself as a small business owner running a convenience store at the Ministry of National Defense, said, "Right now, with the decision on the presidential office pending, the Ministry of National Defense is in complete chaos," adding, "I was also notified yesterday to prepare myself mentally as I can only operate until the end of this month due to the office relocation."

He continued, "This is not just a sudden disaster; what is going on? If we are told to stop immediately, how will my family and employees make a living? The future looks very bleak," he lamented.

He added, "I fully understand President-elect Yoon's intention to communicate more with the people, but I believe that causing the disappearance of a citizen's precious workplace contradicts the purpose of his election," he said.

Furthermore, Mr. A stated, "I believe relocating the presidential office is inappropriate due to security and protection issues," and concluded his message by saying, "Please reconsider that decision and guarantee our livelihoods. I earnestly ask for this."

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board screen capture.

Meanwhile, the Yoon transition team is strongly considering relocating the presidential office from the Blue House to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan.

Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye held a briefing at the Yeouido party headquarters in Seoul and explained the reason for the Blue House relocation, saying, "The current Blue House structure focuses more on the president than the people. It takes a considerable amount of time to go from the Secretary's Office to the president's office."

She added, "Since we vowed not to waste even a single minute or second, it is also important for the president, secretaries, and the people to be in close proximity and to promptly address public affairs in real time."

Spokesperson Kim also emphasized, "Until now, the Blue House has been isolated and cut off from citizen communication. It prioritized presidential protection above all else. As a result, it was never in a position to come down to or approach the people. Therefore, our intention is not just about physical relocation but about always breathing with the people and not causing inconvenience to them."

However, Blue House officials strongly refuted these claims. Protocol Secretary Tak Hyun-min posted on Facebook the same day, "I just checked the travel time between the presidential office and the Secretary's Office; it takes 30 seconds if you run and 57 seconds if you walk, so it does not take a considerable amount of time," countering the criticism that the presidential office is far from the Secretary's Office.

Chief of Public Communication Park Soo-hyun also emphasized on Facebook that day, "'The distance between the presidential office and the Secretary's Office is far, causing communication issues' is absolutely not true."