Seoul Police Chief Prepares for Yongsan Move of Presidential Office "Mostly Completed"

No Change in Preparation Stage for Official Residence Confirmed as 'Foreign Minister's Residence'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Choi Gwan-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated on the 25th that "most preparations have been completed" regarding the relocation of the presidential office.

At a press briefing that morning, Commissioner Choi said, "Except for some unresolved issues such as the jurisdiction of the police station around the office, most preparations have been completed, and we are currently reviewing whether there are any side effects in implementation." He added, "We are also conducting detailed reviews on derivative matters being prepared and will finalize them promptly." Regarding the official residence where President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol will live after inauguration, which has been confirmed as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister’s residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Choi explained, "Both the Joint Chiefs of Staff residence and the Foreign Minister’s residence are located within the same district," and "Even if there is a change, there will be no change during the preparation stage."

President-elect Yoon will commute for about a month after inauguration from his home in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan due to remodeling of the Foreign Minister’s residence. Regarding traffic issues arising from this, Commissioner Choi said, "We have been reviewing how much inconvenience this will cause to citizens," and "We are also applying the concept of on-site simulation." He added, "We plan to control signals for security purposes," but also said, "If citizen inconvenience is significant, we will coordinate with the security office to adjust commuting times and detours."

Regarding the current situation where large-scale rallies are expected following the full lifting of social distancing measures maintained for over two years, Commissioner Choi drew a clear line, saying, "The response to rallies and demonstrations is not significantly different." He emphasized, "We will respond based on citizens’ basic rights, alleviating inconvenience, and according to law and principles," and "If illegality is confirmed, we will firmly block it to minimize citizen inconvenience." Regarding investigations into the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the National Peasants’ Federation (Jeonnong), which led a large-scale illegal rally in downtown Seoul on the 13th, he said, "We have started investigations on 37 KCTU members and 7 Jeonnong members suspected as organizers for violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act and other charges," and "We have requested their full attendance and will proceed according to procedures."

Regarding the Seoul Disabled Persons’ Rights Solidarity (Jeonjangeon) resuming subway boarding protests, Commissioner Choi said, "While it is important to express the rights of persons with disabilities, I believe that actions that obstruct citizens’ commuting are inappropriate," and emphasized, "We are making efforts to prevent illegal acts in advance, and if the severity is high, legal action is inevitable." The police are currently investigating some individuals leading Jeonjangeon’s subway boarding protests on charges including obstruction of train traffic.

On the issue of investigative authority adjustment due to the Democratic Party’s proposed 'complete prosecution reform' bill, Commissioner Choi avoided a direct answer, saying, "It is an issue under discussion in the National Assembly." He added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is an enforcement agency, and it is inappropriate for an enforcement agency to express related opinions," and "If necessary, the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters will handle it." Previously, Nam Gu-jun, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, refrained from commenting at a regular press briefing on the 18th, stating, "Since it is under discussion in the National Assembly, our basic stance is to observe."

Meanwhile, Commissioner Choi stated that regarding the investigation into the delivery workers’ union that occupied the CJ Logistics headquarters, 16 out of 86 individuals have been investigated, and the rest will proceed according to schedule. Regarding the investigation into allegations of false credentials of Mrs. Kim Geon-hee, spouse of President-elect Yoon, he said, "We are verifying the facts." When asked if the results of the Korea National University investigation would affect the investigation, he replied, "That alone is not particularly meaningful."