Kim Jong-dae: "Yoon is a tenant refugee who can't go to the Blue House or Yongsan"

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Former Justice Party lawmaker Kim Jong-dae. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Amid the Blue House's opposition to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's plan to relocate his office to Yongsan, former Justice Party lawmaker Kim Jong-dae said, "He has become a tenant refugee who can neither go to the Blue House nor Yongsan."

In an interview on the 21st with TBS Traffic Broadcasting's 'Shin Jang-sik's New Opening,' former lawmaker Kim commented on Yoon's statement that if moving the office to Yongsan on the inauguration day is impossible, he would work from the Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong. Kim called it "a truly degrading remark for the nation's dignity," adding, "Since there is no place to go, it has become like temporarily staying at a hotel."

Kim further said, "Tongui-dong's facilities are small, so large events cannot be held there. When foreign envoys visit, there can be no honor guard ceremonies," and added, "Also, helicopters cannot take off from there, so if helicopters are to be used, they would have to go to the Ministry of National Defense or the Blue House helipad." He also noted, "Tongui-dong lacks security facilities," and said, "The president would be isolated and orphaned. The secretariat and security office cannot all be present there, so they would have to assist from a distance, which is not feasible."

He repeatedly expressed concerns about Yoon's plan to work from Tongui-dong. Kim said, "Of course, the country will not collapse. The basics will be maintained," but added, "However, Tongui-dong is inappropriate in many ways to fully energize state affairs and lead a unified government. It is truly unfortunate to lose style at the beginning of the administration."

Kim criticized Yoon's side, saying, "(They) dislike the Blue House itself," and "They said they couldn't stay there even for a day. They reveal the perception that the Blue House is a symbol of pre-modern times where conservative and progressive forces alternately enjoyed autocratic power for 100 years since the Joseon Governor-General's Office, and that it is not a place to be close to."

He added, "In our country's history of democratization, when presidents were at the Blue House, democracy in this country matured," and claimed, "Denying all of this has led to strange rumors circulating among the public."