Professor Yoo Hyun-joon, Department of Architecture, Hongik University [Photo by YouTube 'Sherlock Hyun-joon' capture]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Professor Yoo Hyun-joon of Hongik University’s Department of Architecture, who described President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol’s plan to relocate the Blue House presidential office to Yongsan as a "masterstroke," clarified that his comment was "simply an opinion from an architect’s perspective."
On the 18th, Professor Yoo posted on the community section of his YouTube channel 'Sherlock Hyun-joon,' saying, "There have been so many comments and requests for clarification, so I am writing this," and made the statement.
Earlier, Professor Yoo appeared on CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show' the previous day and, when asked about the Blue House relocation issue, responded by calling it a "masterstroke." At the time, he said, "I once gave a lecture at the Ministry of National Defense, and the view there was the best I have ever seen since I was born," adding, "I don’t know much about pungsu (Korean geomancy), but I thought, 'If there were a presidential office here, it would be really great.'"
After his remarks became known, netizens criticized, saying things like, "Is the reason for moving the Blue House just because of the view?" and "Are we going to waste taxpayers’ money just to go to a place with a nice view?"
In response, Professor Yoo explained, "The phrase in the article saying 'the Blue House should be moved because of the view' was originally a misunderstanding," adding, "I simply gave an architectural opinion on whether Yongsan is an environment suitable for relocating the Blue House, but it did not mean that it must be moved now."
He continued, "I did not intend to say that the Ministry of National Defense should be removed," and added, "Since the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense site is large, about 900,000 pyeong, I thought there would be plenty of room to build additional facilities somewhere nearby."
Professor Yoo emphasized again that the decision on whether to relocate the presidential office is a matter for ruling and opposition politicians to gauge public opinion and reach consensus, saying, "I am merely offering an opinion from an architect’s perspective."
He concluded, "I don’t watch the news much, so I didn’t realize that the ruling and opposition parties were so sharply divided over this issue," and added, "I hope that this issue will not further divide public opinion and that a wise consensus can be found."
Meanwhile, on the 19th, President-elect Yoon inspected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense buildings as candidates for the presidential office relocation. His office officially confirmed, "From 11 a.m., we inspected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense buildings, which are candidates for the presidential office relocation, for about two hours."
On the day, President-elect Yoon visited the candidate sites for the presidential office relocation together 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 previous day, Vice Chairman Kwon Young-se of the Transition Committee, Planning Chairman Won Hee-ryong, and members of the Planning Coordination and Foreign Affairs and Security subcommittees had also conducted an inspection.
President-elect Yoon is expected to announce his position on the building relocation through a press conference tomorrow. A representative from Yoon’s office stated, "The time for the press conference has not yet been decided."
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