President-elect Yoon Personally Inspects Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry Buildings... Likely to Announce Stance on Blue House Relocation on the 20th

President-elect Yoon Visits Potential Office Relocation Sites with Kim Han-gil, Kim Byung-joon, Kim Ki-hyun
Even Within the Party, Reservations Raised... Yoon Hee-sook Says "Need Time to Review Various Options"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol inspected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and the Ministry of National Defense building on the 19th to consider relocating the presidential office. It is known that President-elect Yoon will express his position on the office relocation through a press conference tomorrow.

On the day, President-elect Yoon's side officially confirmed, "From 11 a.m., we inspected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and the Ministry of National Defense building, which are candidates for the presidential office relocation, for about two hours."

Ministry of National Defense Building [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, President-elect Yoon visited the candidate sites for the presidential office relocation along with Kim Han-gil, Chairman of the National Integration Committee, Kim Byung-joon, Chairman of the Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development, and Kim Ki-hyun, Floor Leader of the People Power Party. The day before, Vice Chairman Kwon Young-se, Planning Committee Chairman Won Hee-ryong, and members of the Planning Coordination and Foreign Affairs & Security subcommittees of the transition team had also conducted an inspection.

Regarding this, it is known that President-elect Yoon will announce his position on relocating the Blue House through a press conference tomorrow. A representative of President-elect Yoon's side stated, "The time for the press conference has not yet been decided."

During the presidential election period, President-elect Yoon expressed his intention to become a "Gwanghwamun President" through his campaign promises. Accordingly, his side sought a place to start his term after inauguration outside the Blue House. Initially, the Government Complex was mentioned, but later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and the Ministry of National Defense building were brought up.

For now, the transition team and President-elect Yoon's side seem to lean toward the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan. This is because, from the perspectives of presidential security and protection, the Ministry of National Defense building is considered to have more advantages than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, confusion is inevitable regardless of whether the office is relocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of National Defense. Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense are major government departments, raising concerns about potential gaps in diplomacy and security. Moreover, not only the relocation of the presidential office but also the costs associated with new facilities for the Ministry of National Defense or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are expected to incur enormous expenses.

Within the People Power Party, cautious opinions are also emerging. Former lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook said, "I unconditionally support (President-elect Yoon's) 'into the people' approach," but added, "I hope various options are reviewed over time." She expressed concerns, saying, "Why forcefully penetrate into the people's daily lives, which could be disrupted? The president commuting would cause massive traffic control, incurring the resentment of Seoul citizens, and the nearby area would suffer from protests and noise." She further pointed out, "If the Blue House is returned but another Blue House is designated causing inconvenience, and if tight security and isolation remain unchanged, the question 'Why did you leave?' will follow."

However, it is known that the possibility of staying at the Blue House is slim. On the 16th, spokesperson Kim Eun-hye for the president-elect stated, "The possibility of President-elect Yoon entering the Blue House (office) is zero (0)." Regarding the possibility of relocating after a preparation period, she also stated the day before, "We will return the Blue House to the people before the spring flowers fall," expressing the intention to relocate before the start of the term.