ED Hasty relocation decision

New presidential office plan lacks consensus

On Sunday, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced a decision to relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, central Seoul. The decision is part of his campaign pledge to move out of a symbol of the “imperial” presidency and better communicate with the people.

Yoon said he will start his five-year presidency at the office to be created on the second floor of the defense ministry building after his inauguration on May 10. He plans to use one of the government's official residences in Hannam-dong, close to the ministry, as his residence. With the relocation, Cheong Wa Dae will be opened fully to the public on the same day.

In the lead-up to the March 9 election, Yoon had initially promised to relocate the presidential office to the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun. Several days after he won the election, his plan changed due to problems with presidential escorts, security, protocol and traffic. His transition team presented two options: move to the adjacent Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, or to the defense ministry compound.

Finally Yoon choose the defense ministry building after taking into consideration all the problems, including security issues and relocation costs. If his decision is put into action, the defense ministry will move into the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in the compound. Then the Joint Chiefs of Staff is likely to be relocated to the Capital Defense Command compound in Namtaeryeong, southern Seoul.

We positively assess Yoon's strong determination to keep his campaign promise. As he stressed, the relocation of the presidential office carries a symbolic meaning as it is designed to end the status of an emperor-like president. The country's heads of states have so far been criticized for wielding unrestricted authority and monopolizing power at Cheong Wa Dae, reminiscent of a royal palace in a secluded location.

We hope that Yoon will carry out his relocation plan smoothly to realize his goal of serving the nation and the people better by restoring democratic values in the truest sense. Yet, he has some hurdles to overcome down the road. First he is pushing for the relocation plan too hurriedly, so he could not afford to hold sufficient discussions and build a national consensus over the matter. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is against his plan, saying that there is no difference between Cheong Wa Dae and the newly selected site for the presidential office as both are secluded from the public.

A successful relocation depends on how the Moon Jae-in administration and the DPK will cooperate with Yoon and his transition committee. Most of all, Yoon needs an emergency government budget to complete the relocation plan which he estimated will cost 49.6 billion won ($40.8 million). But the costs could rise further; some DPK lawmakers argue that the plan might require as much as 1 trillion won. Yoon should make efforts to persuade President Moon and DPK legislators to support his relocation plan.

Also worrisome is that the relocation issue might turn into a political football between the outgoing administration and the incoming one. Many DPK lawmakers as well as other critics are against the relocation plan, saying that the country should instead focus on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, improving the people's livelihoods and speeding up economic recovery.

Another problem is a potential weakening of security posture against North Korea which is reportedly seeking to resume its ICBM launches and nuclear tests. Yoon and his transition team should go all-out to ensure that there is no security lapse in the process of moving the presidential office into the defense ministry compound.