Opposition to Yoon's Move of Office to Yongsan... 6 out of 10 Say 'Should Stay at Cheongwadae'

Support for Yongsan Office at 33.1%
President-elect Yoon: "Decision based on the philosophy of those in government is as important as public opinion polls"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] More than half of the public expressed opposition to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office. Approximately one-third of the respondents supported the office relocation.

According to a public opinion poll conducted by Media Tomato from the 19th to the 20th among 1,018 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, 58.1% expressed the opinion that "the presidential office should remain at the current Blue House" regarding Yoon's plan to move the presidential office to the new Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul. Only 33.1% supported the relocation of the presidential office.

Among supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea, 95.1% opposed Yoon's plan to move the presidential office to Yongsan. Only 2.6% expressed support. Among supporters of the People Power Party, 25.4% opposed the relocation, while 63.6% supported it.

By generation, only those aged 60 and above showed a higher approval for the office relocation, while all other age groups expressed stronger opposition.

However, on the 20th, President-elect Yoon stated at a press conference that he intends to move the office to Yongsan despite negative public opinion. He said, "I am well aware of concerns that the relocation of the presidential office might be rushed, but once inside the Blue House grounds, it will become even more difficult to escape the symbol of imperial power that the Blue House represents," adding, "It is important to make decisions based on the philosophy of the person responsible for the government rather than simply following public opinion polls."

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

Regarding the pardon of former President Lee Myung-bak, 58.2% opposed it, while only 38.2% supported it.

Regarding the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 48.4% expressed the opinion that it should be abolished, whereas 42.5% believed it should not be abolished.

Additionally, concerning the position of Yoon Ho-jung, the Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Democratic Party, 48.8% believed he should resign, while 20.5% thought he should not. Those who answered that they did not know accounted for 30.6%.

This poll was conducted via wireless ARS, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey methodology and results, please refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.