Jang Sung-min: "The History of Korean Presidents Will Be Divided Into Before and After the Blue House Relocation by President-elect Yoon"

Ending the Era of Presidential Disconnect and Corruption Through the Relocation of the Presidential Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Jang Sung-min, the political special advisor to President-elect, introduced President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's determination to move the presidential office to Yongsan on the 23rd, predicting, "From now on, Korean presidential history will be divided into 'before and after the Cheongwadae relocation' by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol."

On the same day, Advisor Jang reviewed Korea's constitutional history through social media (SNS), stating, "Our constitutional history has been bumpy, and there was no equality before the law. Absolute power reigned above the law, and the subject of that power was the imperial president." He added, "The imperial presidential system is much closer to a monarchic presidency than a democratic one," and evaluated, "Only the form of the governance system wore the clothes of democratic processes and procedures, but its content and reality were closer to dictatorship."

He said, "As someone who has long observed the successes and failures of South Korean presidents, all presidents except former President Kim Dae-jung have been recorded as failed presidents who could not act freely after leaving Cheongwadae," citing lack of communication and corruption as causes.

Advisor Jang argued, "The spatial structure of Cheongwadae itself is very isolated and closed, built in a royal architectural style, so it is far from being a communicative space that can maintain affinity with citizens and the media," adding, "Anyone who enters such an isolated place inevitably becomes disconnected from the outside world, which directly leads to a breakdown in communication with the people." He continued, "President-elect Yoon's decision not to use Cheongwadae as his office is a strong will and conviction not to follow the footsteps of failed presidents of closed environments designed in the authoritarian era and their communication failures," evaluating, "This is not a problem of the place called Cheongwadae but a matter of the 'spirit of the times' and 'values' to end the era of non-communication and move toward a new era of communication."

Regarding corruption, he pointed out, "As our modern political history clearly shows, the absolute power of the president inevitably leads to absolute corruption," and criticized, "No president has been free from power corruption, which is the greatest harm caused by the imperial presidential system." Referring to President-elect Yoon's background as a lifelong prosecutor who entered politics and won the presidential election in just 255 days, he evaluated, "The determination to step down from Cheongwadae is ultimately a self-resolution to break away from the imperial presidential system, which is a hotbed of power corruption, to transparently show his power base to the people and be subject to their scrutiny."