Presidential Candidates Say They Won't Go to Yongsan... Is Cheongwadae Rising? [Political Spotlight]

Democratic Party and People Power Party Oppose Yongsan Presidential Office
Calls to Consider By-election's Immediate Work Demands
Possibility of Relocating to Blue House First, Then Sejong City

With the early presidential election confirmed for June 3, the issue of the next president's office has become a focal point of interest. The general consensus is that moving into the Seoul Yongsan Presidential Office, shadowed by martial law, would not be easy considering public sentiment.

In fact, not only major presidential candidates but also figures inside and outside the political sphere have expressed views that the office should be relocated elsewhere. Within the Democratic Party, Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province and former Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam are actively in favor of moving to Sejong City. The so-called administrative capital theory is an issue that could influence the Chungcheong region's voting sentiment. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung also pledged during the last presidential election to establish the presidential office in Sejong City. On the 8th, Democratic Party Supreme Council member Kim Min-seok said on MBC Radio, "Regardless of which party comes to power, most people would not agree that the long-term and sustainable presidential office location should be Yongsan."

On the 4th, when the Constitutional Court ruled to dismiss former President Yoon Seok-yeol, officials at the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, were lowering the Bonghwanggi flag. Photo by Yonhap News.

The same applies to Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu and member of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, a lawmaker. The status of the Yongsan Presidential Office is inevitably going to change in some form. However, a variable is that due to the nature of the early election, the president must effectively begin work from June 4, the day after the election.

Even if the Sejong Presidential Office is pledged, there is still a long way to go before implementation. This involves securing office space for the presidential office, as well as complex considerations such as public opinion support and sympathy from the metropolitan area electorate. Therefore, choosing an office location that considers both feasibility and political symbolism has emerged as a key task. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Soo-hyun stated, "Even if a temporary office is used immediately, the next candidate should include in their pledge a mid- to long-term relocation plan, considering a temporary return to the Blue House and the second office under construction in Sejong City."

In reality, while considering a long-term move to Sejong or elsewhere, many believe that the Blue House should be used practically. Considering the need to start work immediately upon election, utilizing government agency buildings near the Blue House is also being suggested as an idea.

A former Blue House official said, "The Yongsan Presidential Office is unsuitable even from a military perspective," adding, "Initially, the Government Complex could be used as the office, and the main building of the Blue House office, which has become an open space, could be refurbished and used again as the office." The official explained, "The presidential residence could be utilized," and "Besides the Government Complex, government-owned buildings around the Blue House, such as the Changseong-dong annex of the government office, could also be used as the office."