'Office Relocation' Contingency Fund Approval Fails on 5th... Expected to be Processed as Early as Tomorrow

The Blue House in Seoul on the 25th, where President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-youl continue to clash over the relocation of the office and the appointment of the Governor of the Bank of Korea. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Presidential Transition Committee and the government are showing subtle differences in perspective regarding the timing of the approval of the preliminary budget of around 30 billion won for relocating the office to Yongsan. Both sides agree that holding an extraordinary Cabinet meeting this week is inevitable, but the Transition Committee is leaning towards holding it on the 6th, while the government favors the 7th. Since the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has stated that additional review is necessary due to security concerns, the ministry's position is expected to be a variable.

Kim Eun-hye, the spokesperson for the President-elect, told reporters at the Transition Committee in Tongui-dong on the 5th, "I heard that the extraordinary Cabinet meeting will be convened tomorrow (the 6th) to handle this," adding, "I believe cooperation will be well achieved, and I heard that it took some time on a practical level." She continued, "After the dinner between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon, cooperation on the big picture is properly taking place."

The Blue House and the government have not specified an exact date but are lukewarm about the 6th. A government official said, "I understand that the Cabinet meeting will be convened around the 7th." The two sides also showed differences over advancing the date by one day.

The key point is whether the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the main ministry in charge, will conduct additional review. In particular, the will of Minister Jeon Hae-cheol of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, who belongs to the Democratic Party of Korea, is crucial. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a meeting with related agencies the previous day and stated, "Practical additional review and verification are necessary regarding the crisis management system related to security."

A Blue House official also explained, "No date has been set yet," adding, "An extraordinary Cabinet meeting will be convened between the 6th and 8th."