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| Former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin / Korea Times file |
Vice speaker of Nat'l Assembly gives ex-defense minister credit for relocation
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the People Power Party (PPP) said on Sunday that the relocation of the presidential office into the Ministry of National Defense building was the idea of former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who held the position during the former President Lee Myung-bak administration.
In his social media post uploaded on Sunday, Chung, a five-term lawmaker and vice National Assembly speaker, shared the story behind how the defense ministry has been honed in as the new site for the presidential office and residence, disclosing what he heard from Kim during their meeting on March 16.
"Mr. Kim told me about the critical problem that will occur if the presidential office is relocated into the Government Complex building (at Gwanghwamun), which was initially proposed as the site, or the foreign ministry building. There is no bunker underneath them," wrote Chung.
Unlike those buildings, the lawmaker went on to say that the Ministry of National Defense compound has underground bunkers underneath every building, so Kim put forth the idea of relocating the presidential office and residence to the defense ministry compound in Yongsan District, along with the plan for the realignment of defense-related facilities.
"Mr. Kim told me that the most important mission for the president is his role as a commander-in-chief to protect the lives and assets of the citizens, so the first and primary factor people need to consider when thinking about relocating the presidential office is the president's role as the chief commander," Chung wrote on Facebook.
After the meeting, Rep. Chung said he summarized what he heard from Kim in a report and handed it over to President-elect Yoon.
Regarding his social media post, Chung said that he wanted to clear up any misunderstandings or unnecessary speculation about the relocation, if any, by sharing the information.
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