Yeo Party Uses 'Minsheng Frame' Against Yongsan Office Relocation Opposition

Yoon Ho-jung "Cheongwadae Yongsan Relocation, Useless for Livelihood and a Disaster for Security"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The Democratic Party of Korea continues to launch strong attacks day after day over President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan. This is interpreted as a desperate reality diagnosis that if the Democratic Party, which received nearly half of the support in the last presidential election, fails to play its role as a counterforce to President-elect Yoon and the People Power Party, it could also lose in the upcoming June 1 local elections. Analysts predict that opposition to the Yongsan office relocation will intensify to change the mood subdued by the presidential election defeat and to strengthen the 'Yoon Ho-jung emergency committee system.'

Yoon Ho-jung, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Emergency Response Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

On the 21st, Yoon Ho-jung, co-chairman of the Democratic Party's Emergency Committee, fiercely criticized the relocation at the morning emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly, saying, "The move of the Blue House to Yongsan is utterly harmful to people's livelihoods and a disaster for national security." He added, "Especially, having the Blue House and the Ministry of National Defense in the same location itself poses a great threat to security in case of emergencies," and "Above all, the very idea of using contingency funds meant for disaster recovery, such as the wildfires in the East Sea and Uljin, for the Blue House relocation is anti-people." At the same meeting, emergency committee member Cho Eung-chun urged, "What should be shown to the people on the first day of the term is not the Yongsan office but the promised second supplementary budget," and called for "an early meeting with President Moon Jae-in and immediate negotiations between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party on current issues." Kim Sung-hwan, chairman of the Policy Committee, also appeared on KBS Radio that day to criticize, saying, "(The office relocation) goes beyond the scope of the transition committee's duties as stipulated by law." He explained that the Minister of the Interior and Safety should seek cooperation from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to decide whether to submit the matter to the Cabinet meeting, and for that, it must first be determined whether it falls within the transition committee's duties. He also expressed the intention to examine this issue at the National Assembly level.

In particular, the Democratic Party is showing a determined attitude by linking opposition to the Blue House office relocation with the local elections. On the same day, Chairman Yoon expressed that the Yongsan office relocation could be a "violation of the people's property rights." He said, "The property damage to Seoul citizens and Yongsan residents is so large that it is difficult to predict," adding, "The Yongsan Blue House era means a complete halt to nearby reconstruction and redevelopment, and the installation of anti-communist artillery on the rooftops of some apartments in Gangnam is also inevitable."

However, there are also voices calling for a flexible relationship with the transition committee. Emergency committee member Cho emphasized, "The Democratic Party is ready to cooperate immediately with the president-elect and the transition committee," but added the caveat, "What is urgent is not a showy presidential office relocation but addressing the people's immediate livelihood issues and resolving concerns about political reform and security reform necessary for national unity." This is interpreted as an emphasis that the opposition within the Democratic Party to the office relocation is not opposition for the sake of opposition.

Professor Park Sang-byeong of Inha University analyzed, "In the last presidential election, the Democratic Party received nearly half of the people's support (although it lost), and if it fails to play a proper role as the opposition party, it loses its value of existence." He added, "The current goal of the Democratic Party is to serve as a counterforce in the local elections and against the Yoon Seok-ryeol government," and predicted, "If it fails in this role, it cannot contest the local elections. As the opposition party, it distinguishes between what it can cooperate with the new government on and what it cannot, and it views the Blue House Yongsan relocation as the latter. By opposing it, the party can strengthen the current emergency committee system and aim for victory in the local elections."