Cheong Wa Dae puts off plan to relocate presidential office
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Cheong Wa Dae / Yonhap
The government has decided to put off a plan to relocate the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, Cheong Wa Dae officials said Friday, largely citing the lack of space in the proposed Gwanghwamun area.
Relocating the presidential office to the downtown Gwanghwamun area was a key election pledge of President Moon Jae-in who had advocated the importance of close and daily encounters with the people and working-level officials.
Located at the heart of Seoul, Gwanghwamun has been and continues to be the home of many government ministries, including the foreign ministry.
"(The government) has come to the decision that should we relocate the office to the (government) complex in Gwanghwamun, we won't be able to find the space to replace the reception hall, the main building and helipad (of Cheong Wa Dae) in Gwanghwamun," Yoo Hong-joon told a press briefing.
Yoo, a former head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, has been serving as a special adviser to the president for the proposed relocation since early last year.
"Therefore, the government decided to consider the relocation as a long-term project," Yoo added.
The adviser insisted the decision did not mean an immediate withdrawal of the pledge to relocate, saying the project will be subject to future reviews, pending the outcome of an ongoing plan to rearrange the vast Gwanghwamun square in the downtown area. (Yonhap)