President Moon to Move to Yangsan After Leaving Office... New Residence Site Purchased

President Moon stated at a January press conference, "(After leaving office) I do not want to be involved in any matters related to practical politics."

On the morning of the 5th, around Pyeongsan Village, Jisan-ri, Habuk-myeon, Yangsan-si, Gyeongnam.
President Moon Jae-in and his wife will use a house (outlined in red) in this village as their private residence after retirement. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in purchased a new site in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, around the end of April to build a residence where he will live after his retirement. It is located in Pyeongsan Village, Habuk-myeon, at the foot of Yeongchuksan Mountain, close to the famous temple Tongdosa.

Kang Min-seok, the Blue House spokesperson, held a briefing at the Chuncheon Press Center on the 5th and stated, "President Moon plans to live in Pyeongsan Village after his retirement," adding, "The existing residence is in Maegok-dong, Yangsan, but he has decided to move to nearby Habuk-myeon." He further explained, "Although President Moon had repeatedly expressed internally his intention to return to his Maegok-dong residence after retirement, the reason for securing a new site was due to security issues."

Spokesperson Kang explained, "The security office judged that it was impossible to install security facilities at the Maegok-dong residence in Yangsan," and added, "Since a national agency made a 'mission impossible' judgment, President Moon had no choice but to plan the relocation." He also elaborated, "However, he instructed that even with the new site, the size should not exceed that of the Maegok-dong residence." The existing Maegok-dong residence, which President Moon has used since 2008, is located in a remote area with a narrow single-lane road leading to it, causing inconvenience and being deemed unsuitable for security purposes.

According to the Blue House, President Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook jointly purchased a 2,630.5㎡ (795.6 pyeong) plot in the Pyeongsan Village area for 1.06401 billion KRW. This purchase was funded from President Moon's personal funds. The existing Maegok-dong residence is planned to be disposed of. Additionally, under the 'Act on the Treatment of Former Presidents,' the Blue House security office will hold shares and ownership of the site purchased for nearby security facilities.

Some speculate that President Moon may continue to play a certain role, such as communicating with the public after his retirement. However, at a New Year's press conference in January, when asked about his plans after retirement, President Moon stated, "I do not think about life after the presidency. I just want to end as president," and expressed his desire to return as a 'forgotten person,' saying, "I do not want to have any involvement in real politics or anything like that after my presidential term ends."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.