President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol plans to move the office from the Blue House to the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense - a plan estimated to cost about 40 million USD.
Former Attorney General Yoon Suk-yeol was elected President of South Korea on March 9. During the election campaign, he promised the public that he would "return" the government of President Cheong Wa Dae (Green House) in a move to show his commitment to "being closer to the people", because the Green House is reminiscent of a royal palace away from the public. Mr. Yoon said he wanted to immediately move the presidential cabinet out of the Blue House after taking office on May 10.
The administration of incumbent President Moon Jae-in initially expressed concern about the plan to relocate the presidential office, as the resettlement of the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense would take weeks. A rush to act could "create a breakaway and confusion" at a time of tensions with North Korea, the Moon Jae-in administration said.
But President Moon Jae-in later called for the cabinet to approve the necessary amounts, and on April 6, the Jury approved 36 billion won ($29.5 million) in the government's reserve fund for initial costs. The additional funding will be discussed later.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who chaired the cabinet meeting, said the decision was made to ensure a smooth transition to a government without any security gaps.
North Korea has tested a series of increasingly powerful missiles and Seoul said Pyongyang could prepare to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. This week, North Korea warned that it would retaliate against South Korea with nuclear weapons if attacked.
The move to transfer the presidential cabinet from the Green House has met with mixed reactions in South Korea. Yonhap reported that on April 6, residents and environmental protectionists demonstrated outside the current Defense Ministry campus, saying an urgent move could disrupt a project to establish a national park at a former US military base in the vicinity and cause traffic congestion.
Yonhap also quoted an unnamed official as saying that the South Korean Ministry of National Defense has begun preparations for a move to a nearby building.
