Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
President's timeline for office move hits security snags
Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential compound in central Seoul, bustles with visitors, Sunday, as it draws renewed public interest due to its uncertain future as a tourist spot. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
New leader accelerates relocation of presidential HQ amid security concerns
As President Lee Jae-myung pushes ahead with his ambitious plan to relocate the presidential office back to the historic Cheong Wa Dae complex, questions are mounting over the feasibility of completing the move within his stated 100-day timeline, particularly amid burgeoning security concerns.
Experts are sounding the alarm, emphasizing the critical need for meticulous preparations. They cite a new generation of security threats, from increasingly sophisticated drones to the evolving risks posed by artificial intelligence, which necessitate comprehensive defensive strategies that might challenge a rapid transition.
The concern is that a hasty move could compromise national security and the safety of the president, potentially creating vulnerabilities in a volatile geopolitical landscape.
Full-scale discussions on relocating the presidential office are underway, as the new administration launched a dedicated task force on the first day of Lee's term. Efforts to return the office to Cheong Wa Dae are rapidly gaining momentum.
The task force is led by Lee Jung-do, former presidential secretary for general affairs under the Moon Jae-in administration.
Cheong Wa Dae has been open to the public since May 2022, when former President Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office to Yongsan. Since then, the former presidential compound has become a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors.
Currently, most of the complex — including the main building, the state guest house and the helicopter landing pad — remains fully accessible to the public.
A view of the presidential office inside the main building of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Thursday / YonhapA view of the presidential office inside the main building of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Thursday / Yonhap
While the decision to return the presidential office to Cheong Wa Dae is now confirmed, officials are increasingly concerned that completing the relocation within the originally planned 100-day timeline may prove challenging due to complex security issues.
Lim Jong-in, a professor of information protection at Korea University, emphasized the need for the government to prepare for a wide range of advanced threats, particularly those involving emerging technologies such as drones and cyberattacks.
"For the past three years, the site has been extensively exposed to the public, making it difficult to determine whether any hacking devices or wiretaps may have been secretly installed," Lim said. "A thorough scan must be conducted to detect and eliminate any potential threats before the president relocates the office."
Additional time will be needed to reinstall equipment previously used at the Presidential National Crisis Management Center.
Although the facilities themselves were not exposed to the public, all devices used in the crisis management center were removed when Yoon moved the presidential office to Yongsan. Upgrading and reinstalling those systems will require more than three months.
Lim also emphasized that the role of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) must evolve beyond traditional physical protection to address more complex and emerging threats.
"While the PSS originally began as a bodyguard unit, it now needs to respond to a wider range of dangers, including cyberattacks, drone incursions and threats involving AI," he said.
Some believe the relocation could be completed within three months, citing the fact that key facilities such as Yeomingwan — the administrative office building — and the underground bunker used for National Security Council meetings were never opened to the public. Former President Moon Jae-in also primarily worked out of Yeomingwan rather than the main Cheong Wa Dae building.
"When it comes to physical security, access control measures will be enforced once the president moves in, so it shouldn’t be a major issue," said Hwang Suk-jin, a professor at Dongguk University’s Graduate School of International Affairs and Information Security.
Hwang acknowledged the need for inspecting communication systems and seeking potential cyber vulnerabilities, but said the reorganization of key facilities could be completed swiftly.
"Once basic maintenance is done, access to the area will be tightly restricted, and enhanced security protocols will be in place for the president and his security team," he said. "With physical security restored, presidential duties could resume in the main facilities without disruption."