Moon reacts negatively to presidential office relocation amid power transition

Seen above is the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, which will be used as the new office for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Yonhap

President-elect reiterates resolve to return Cheong Wa Dae to public on May 10

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Moon Jae-in on Monday put the brakes on President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to begin his presidency at a new office in the defense ministry compound in Yongsan District, Seoul, expressing worries about a possible security vacuum during the power transition process.

Moon's reaction came a day after Yoon unveiled a plan to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan, which requires Cabinet approval due to the huge relocation cost.

Yoon's first initiative since his election win earlier this month has encountered an obstacle with the sitting president voicing skepticism about the relocation plan. It remains uncertain whether the President-elect will push ahead with the plan at the expense of his relationship with Moon.

"Since President Moon pledged to have the presidential office move to the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, during his presidential campaign, we fully understand why President-elect Yoon is trying to return Cheong Wa Dae to the public," Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication, said during a press conference.

"However, it seems inappropriate for the President-elect to push ahead with the relocation of the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) headquarters, presidential office, secretaries' office and other facilities, because President Moon is still in power, although his days in the top job of the government are numbered."

On Sunday, Yoon announced that he will start his first day of the presidency on May 10 at the newly relocated office, which sits next to U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan. The Cheong Wa Dae site and buildings will be opened to the public. The defense ministry will be moved to the JCS headquarters, which is next to the defense ministry building, and the JCS will move to the Army Public Affairs Division building for a while before relocating to the Namtaeryeong area in southern Seoul.

Yoon's presidential transition committee said around 50 billion won ($41.2 million) will be needed for the project, while it plans to tap into the state reserve fund to finance the cost, which will require Cabinet approval. The committee initially planned to seek approval during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, but an official at Cheong Wa Dae said, "As the President expressed his concern, it will be difficult to table the issue during Tuesday's meeting."

Park cited "a security vacuum" as the reason.

"With the tense security situation on the Korean Peninsula, an abrupt relocation of the defense ministry, the JCS and Cheong Wa Dae's risk management center (underground bunker) during the power transition may cause a vacuum and disruptions in national security," he said.

"It will be appropriate for Yoon's transition committee to pursue the relocation after the defense ministry, the JCS headquarters and Cheong Wa Dae are thoroughly prepared, and the Moon government will decide its final stance after enough consultations with Yoon's side."

Yoon expressed regret over Moon's negative reaction to the relocation plan.

"If he resists cooperation… there are no forceful means that we can use to make it work," said President-elect Yoon's spokesperson, Kim Eun-hye.

But Kim made it clear that Yoon will live up to his commitment to return Cheong Wa Dae to the public on the first day of his inauguration, noting it will be effective from May 10, the day he will be sworn in as next president.

She did not elaborate on where Yoon will start his first day in office.

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While the two sides lock horns, the relocation plan has left the nation divided, triggering a heated debate not only in political circles, but also among the general public.

Yoon said the relocation is aimed at facilitating communication with the public and ending the legacy of Korea's "imperial" presidency, but questions were raised about the security vacuum created by the move, as well as general skepticism over the suitability of the new site.

Rep. Yun Ho-jung, co-chief of the DPK emergency committee, said, "Yongsan is at the heart of the nation's defense, housing facilities that command the security of the country." He added that it will take at least two years to move core security facilities of the defense ministry, which will in the meantime leave a vacuum in national defense.

He added that the maximum height of buildings in the Yongsan area will be regulated if the presidential office moves there, which will disrupt ongoing development projects in the region.

The PPP, meanwhile, was welcoming Yoon's decision, but there are also opinions from within that the President-elect is rushing the relocation.

Yim Tae-hee, former presidential chief of staff during the Lee Myung-bak administration and a special adviser to Yoon, told Yonhap News Agency, "If the incoming administration makes any glitches while rushing to the new office, it may face national criticism right after Yoon's inauguration," adding "the opinion from the defense ministry should be respected."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is also a member of the PPP, asked for a "prudent approach" during a meeting with Yoon on Saturday, citing the pros and cons of the new presidential office.

This combined image shows banners hung near the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday, a day after President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced his plan to relocate the presidential office to the defense ministry building. The upper banner welcomes Yoon's plan, and the lower one opposes it, demanding the President-elect announce that there will be no new regulations on development in Yongsan District after the relocation. Yonhap

Yongsan era

Seoul citizens' opinions are also divided over Yoon's plan, due to the consequences of the relocation.

On an online forum of residents in Dongbu Ichon-dong in Yongsan District, a user wrote that the plan will benefit the area, as parks around the new presidential office will jack up the housing prices as well as dismissing the rumors that public rental apartments will be built on the site of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan surrounding the defense ministry compound.

Also, there were expectations over urban development in surrounding areas, relocating nearby railroads underground and opening up Cheong Wa Dae as a tourist site.

On the other hand, concerns were also raised over traffic congestion due to the presidential motorcade, possible regulations on the height of new buildings and an air defense battery surrounding the presidential office.

The road connecting the defense ministry and nearby Hannam-dong is heavily congested. If the road is blocked for Yoon to commute between the office and his residence, which is anticipated to be located in Hannam-dong, the traffic situation is anticipated to worsen.

Cars are stuck in a traffic jam on the road in front of the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul connecting Samgakji Intersection with Itaewon in Yongsan District, Monday. Yonhap

A pending project for the construction of a 35-story building, right next to the defense ministry building, is also becoming uncertain because of the expected height limit to be imposed near the presidential office. Rumors are also spreading that air defense batteries may be installed on the roofs of nearby high-rises in order to protect the presidential office.

Yoon said there will be no additional regulations following the relocation, and the presidential transition committee also noted that there will be no air defense batteries on nearby apartments, but concerns remain because many details of the plan have yet to be disclosed.