Vacant Former Presidential Office, Ministry of National Defense's Return Still Pending

Administrative Procedures Still Pending

With the return of the Presidential Office to Cheong Wa Dae, the former Presidential Office building in Yongsan has become vacant. However, the return of its previous occupant, the Ministry of National Defense, is expected to be delayed for some time due to administrative procedures and other factors.

According to the government on the 29th, as of midnight on this day, the "phoenix flag" that had been flying at the former Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was taken down. The phoenix flag, which symbolizes the head of state, is displayed at the president's main place of work. The vacant building may be reoccupied by the Ministry of National Defense, its former occupant. The building was constructed as the new Ministry of National Defense headquarters in 2003 and had been used by the ministry for about 20 years. It is also reported that security duties for the building were transferred back to the Ministry of National Defense as of the 27th.

On the 4th, the day President Lee Jae-myung's term began, officials at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, are raising the phoenix flag. June 4, 2025 Photo by Joint Press Corps

The Ministry of National Defense relocated to its current building (the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters), which is about 50 meters away from the former Presidential Office, when President Yoon Suk-yeol moved the Presidential Office to Yongsan in 2022. For more than three years, the ministry has shared the building with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Ministry of National Defense moved into a building previously used exclusively by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, concerns were raised within the military about inefficiencies in work operations. Due to a lack of space, some departments were dispersed to the ministry's annex, the Defense Support Group, the Defense Convention Center, the Central Regional Military Court, and the former Defense Acquisition Program Administration building.

Since the former Presidential Office building is state-owned property, coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the responsible authority, is essential for the Ministry of National Defense to move back. Even after coordination is completed, additional procedures such as office relocation will be necessary. As the building was previously used as the Presidential Office, security issues must also be addressed. The National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts even cut the entire moving budget requested by the Ministry of National Defense. A ministry official stated, "At this stage, coordination with relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance has not yet begun," adding, "While we cannot specify the timing of the move, we hope that inter-ministerial coordination will proceed quickly so that the issue of the building can be resolved as soon as possible."