Current and Next Administration Ultimately Clash... Cheong Wa Dae "Yongsan Office, Security Gap" vs Yoon "No Choice If Rejected" (Comprehensive)

Practical Negotiations Between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol Also Face Difficulties
Confusion Inevitable During Power Transition Period

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 reporters Lee Ji-eun and Na Ju-seok] On the 21st, the office of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol expressed regret over the Blue House's concerns regarding the plan for the 'Yongsan Presidential Office.' Unless a breakthrough is made through meetings between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon, a clash between the current and next administrations is expected to be inevitable.

Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the President-elect, stated in a press release that "President-elect Yoon respectfully and thoroughly addressed the public yesterday regarding the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan," adding, "If President Moon refuses to cooperate on the essential tasks of the regime transition, there is no way to enforce it."

Spokesperson Kim also mentioned, "President-elect Yoon will handle urgent livelihood issues and national tasks immediately after the government is launched from Tongui-dong," and "As of midnight on May 10, President-elect Yoon will definitely fulfill the promise of fully opening the Blue House."

In fact, President-elect Yoon has expressed his intention to begin official duties at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Center in Tongui-dong, where the transition committee office is currently set up, without entering the Blue House.

On the same day, following the expanded National Security Council (NSC) meeting chaired by President Moon, the Blue House stated, "The plan to relocate the Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, presidential office, secretariat, and security office before the new government takes office seems excessive," adding, "The sudden relocation of the unprepared Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the Blue House Crisis Management Center, could cause security gaps and confusion."

Park Soo-hyun, Blue House Chief of Public Communication, said in a briefing, "Issues such as adjusting the no-fly zone and defense systems centered around the Blue House must also be reviewed," and "Unless there is an urgent and pressing reason, it is logical to proceed with the relocation of the Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Blue House only when all are fully prepared." The Blue House has conveyed this position to the President-elect and the transition committee.

The Blue House's opposition to President-elect Yoon's 'Yongsan era' stems from concerns over security vulnerabilities. A Blue House official explained, "Security is usually most vulnerable during government transitions," adding, "Next month, North Korea's annual event (Day of the Sun) is scheduled, and it is also the time for the annual joint exercises between South Korea and the U.S., so this period is a heightened security crisis on the Korean Peninsula."

However, the Blue House is open to discussions rather than taking an absolute refusal stance. Chief Park stated, "We will make a final decision after sufficient necessary consultations."

Nevertheless, the clash between the current and next administrations is expected to potentially prolong. According to political circles, on the same day, Lee Cheol-hee, Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, and Jang Je-won, Chief of Staff for President-elect Yoon, met to discuss practical consultations between President Moon and President-elect Yoon but reportedly failed to find common ground.