Presidential office relocation expected to usher in new era for Yongsan

The Ministry of National Defense's headquarters is seen from the top of Mount. Nam on April 12. Behind President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's new office in Seoul's Yongsan district are residential and commercial buildings to the south of the ministry's headquarters. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Relocation move raises hopes among some, while others scratch heads

By Ko Dong-hwan

Less than 300 meters from the main entrance of the Ministry of National Defense's headquarters in Yongsan district is a small Chinese restaurant that has been open more than 40 years. The owner of the restaurant sounded rather indifferent to the news about the presidential office moving close to her place of business from Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno district.

But she added that she hopes the relocation will bring more customers to her restaurant.

“I know I may sound greedy to think the relocation could bring more customers to our store,” she said. “But I just take in customers whether there are many of them or not. I don't know what will happen (after the relocation), so I can't say anything for sure now, can I?”

The presidential office will move to the defense ministry's headquarters, while the ministry will relocate to the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff building next door. The relocation has already caused real estate prices in the area to creep up.

A realtor in the area said the news has prompted some people to inquire about buying residential property in the district, while existing residents are trying to sell their homes and stores located in underdeveloped areas of the district.

“Residential property prices in this area have gone up about at least 10 percent,” the realtor, whose office is close to Shin Yongsan metro station, about one kilometer south of the defense ministry's headquarters, told The Korea Times. “There is clearly rising demand in the real estate market in Yongsan right now. I have been getting so many calls inquiring about buying apartment or officetel units. There are many officetels particularly in Yongsan. But it's difficult matching the hopeful buyers with the right property, because right now the supply pool is just too low.”

An officetel is a multi-purpose building housing both residential and office units.

Many of those who own property in Yongsan are not in a rush to sell, according to the realtor, because they are betting on the incoming administration's promise to slash property taxes for homeowners.

But more and more people who own property in underdeveloped areas of Yongsan are looking for buyers, the realtor said. They are concerned that they might not be able to develop their property once the new presidential office moves into their neighborhood, because regulations could be imposed limiting construction.

“So rather than risking those regulations, people are rather choosing to sell them,” the realtor said.

But it remains unknown exactly which regulations, if any, will kick in once President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's new office moves into the area following his inauguration on May 10.

“That's a question we also would like to ask,” Han Jin-hee, the head of the planning team at Yongsan district office's Planning and Budget Division, told The Korea Times. “Those regulations will usually come down from the central government, like the defense ministry or the land, infrastructure and transport ministry. But we haven't heard anything from the central government so far.”

Outlook for Yongsan

Yoon has been adamant about the relocation plan ― using 36 billion won ($29 million) from the national coffer as an initial cost ― which was announced on March 20. Cheong Wa Dae has been the location of the country's top office since Korea's first President Syngman Rhee took office in 1948. But Yoon claims that the secluded location of the current presidential office hinders communication with the public.

The president-elect also declared that he will not use an existing bunker beneath the presidential office, which contains a state-of-the-art command center for the country's leader in the event of a national disaster or emergency. Yoon said he wishes to open the bunker to the public along with the pristine compound of Cheong Wa Dae. He said he can instead use a special vehicle that serves as a mobile command center in the event of a national emergency.

The new presidential office is eager to use Yongsan Park located a block across the defense ministry, as a symbolic landmark in the area. The site used to house the United States Forces Korea's (USFK) main garrison. The USFK, which moved the main base to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, started returning the site to Korea step by step. So far, 10 percent of the site's overall area of over 2.03 million square meters has been returned.

Yongsan Park is seen behind the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District. The property used to be owned by the United States Forces Korea. Newsis

Yoon said that once the site is fully returned, he will build a Korean version of Blair House inside the park, which is the U.S. presidential guest house in Washington D.C. He also said that no additional regulations will be enforced in the area following the relocation so that local residents won't be affected.

The relocation plan has prompted city planners and architects to call for the launch of a state-level urban development project in Yongsan.

The new presidential office, according to the experts, completes a seven kilometer-long vertical line which already connects Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun Square and the Seoul Metropolitan Government building north of Yongsan. The complete line then can be further developed into a symbolic avenue by constructing new skyscrapers housing residences and offices as well as high-end hotels. The experts compared the symbolic avenue to Paris' Champs Elysees and Washington D.C.'s National Mall.

The relocation plan is also viewed by historians as putting an end to the history of Cheong Wa Dae's geographical site, which has hosted the country's rulers for the past 900 years. The site was home to a royal palace in 1104 during the reign of King Sukjong of the Goryeo Kingdom. It lived on throughout the following Joseon Kingdom, except during Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592 and over 200 years following that, during which the royal palace at the site wasn't used.

The site also hosted the residential house of three governor-generals of the Japanese forces in Korea during Japan's colonial occupation from 1910 to 1945. Following Korea's liberation, the residence was used by Gen. John Reed Hodge who commanded the U.S. Army Forces in Korea from 1945 to 1948. After the Korean government was established in 1948, 12 presidents inhabited Cheong Wa Dae.

Historians also point out the fact that Yoon's new office is moving to a part of the country that had repeatedly housed invading troops for centuries. Forces from Mongolia stationed their logistics base in Yongsan during the Goryeo Kingdom in 1231 because of the region's proximity to the Han River, which gave them a convenient route to infiltrate Kaesong (now in North Korea). Chinese forces occupied the area in 1882 during the Joseon Kingdom to control rebels during the Im-O Military Revolt, and so did Japanese military troops around Mount. Nam in Yongsan during the colonial occupation. USFK troops had occupied the Yongsan Park site from 1945 until 2017 when Yongsan Garrison started moving to Pyeongtaek south of Seoul.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol explains to journalists about his plan to relocate the country's presidential office to the defense ministry's headquarters in Yongsan at the presidential transition committee's press room in Seoul's Jongno District, March 20. Joint Press Corp.

Questionable motive

The relocation plan has left many wondering why Yoon is being so adamant about not spending a single day inside Cheong Wa Dae and moving to Yongsan as soon as possible. It remains unclear what the relocation will eventually achieve.

Yoon said Cheong Wa Dae must be open to the public. But the current Cheong Wa Dae is already open to the public, allowing tourists to visit during designated hours. Also, Yoon pledged during his election campaign to become more accessible to the public than the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration by moving the country's presidential office to Gwanghwamun and not Yongsan.

Political analyst and Ewha Womans University professor Yoo Sung-jin said the relocation plan hasn't presented any solutions on how Yoon will better communicate with the public.

At Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential staff and president work in separate buildings. The press room is located in a different building.

“The presidential transition committee said it will set up a press room on the first floor of the defense ministry's building when the new office is relocated to better communicate with the public, but that's what Cheong Wa Dae is sort of doing right now,” said Yoo. “And the ministry's headquarters looks even more isolated than Cheong Wa Dae to the eyes of the public, with a big fence around the place blocking the view. They haven't also specified to what extent they will allow people to visit inside the ministry's building.”

The presidential transition committee said it will enforce a regulation banning any protest within 100 meters from the office, which is already being enforced by the present Cheong Wa Dae, according to Yoo.

“So, I don't know what exactly will be better after the relocation plan,” said Yoo.