Democratic Party: "Relocation of Blue House, Above All, the Reason Is Unclear... Not a Matter of Personal Preference" (Comprehensive)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's Blue House Relocation
Democratic Party: "Hasty Move, No Clear Reason" Direct Criticism

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is holding a press conference on the relocation of the Blue House presidential office to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building at the press conference room of the Presidential Transition Committee, located in the annex of the Korea Financial Training Institute in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 20th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 20th, the Democratic Party of Korea strongly criticized President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's decision to relocate the presidential office to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building, stating that “he must take responsibility for the confusion and side effects caused by the hasty move.”

Senior Spokesperson Ko Yong-jin said at a National Assembly briefing, “Above all, the reason for this is unclear. It seems they have forgotten that the initiative began with the intention of creating a Blue House that enters the hearts of the people and communicates with them,” adding, “The relocation of the Blue House is not something to be rushed.” He questioned, “Is it right to unilaterally decide on such a nationally significant matter without any public consultation?” and criticized, “President-elect Yoon says he will relinquish imperial power, but I want to ask if this is not an imperial behavior.”

He continued, “It is highly questionable whether it is possible for the Blue House, the highest control tower of state affairs, and the Ministry of National Defense, the security control tower, to relocate within 50 days,” expressing concern that “the rushed relocation process will inevitably cause national confusion and security gaps.” Furthermore, he said, “It is very contradictory that President-elect Yoon, who has emphasized security based on strength such as preemptive strikes and additional deployment of THAAD, neglects security issues in this way,” and added, “There is also no clear explanation regarding the cost issue, which is expected to reach around 1 trillion won.”

Representative Woo Won-shik also wrote on Facebook, “President-elect Yoon’s announcement to move the Blue House to the Ministry of National Defense building is the furthest decision from the original intention to communicate more with the people,” stating, “Communication comes from listening, yet he completely ignored the opposition of many citizens. Small business owners are dismayed seeing the president-elect, who promised ‘50 trillion won for small business owners if elected,’ going house hunting for himself.” Woo criticized, “Is the Blue House a house to be used for only five years by President-elect Yoon and then discarded? What if every newly elected president wants to move it according to their own taste? No citizen could have imagined that the president-elect, who has not even been inaugurated, would preemptively strike the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea.”

He added, “If the promised move to the Gwanghwamun building is difficult, then if the Blue House fence were to be torn down and it were opened more broadly to the public, the Democratic Party would have welcomed it,” raising his voice, “It is not too late even now. A careful review is needed, and the forced relocation that stirs public confusion should not be pushed through even if it takes time.”

Representative Lee Sang-min also said, “This is the first broken campaign promise regarding the presidential office relocation to Gwanghwamun, and it admits that the promise itself was hastily and poorly made,” adding, “The decision to relocate to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense is also a hasty and poor decision and a very wrong one. It looks like the future of state administration. I am very worried.”