Kim Eo-jun "Yoon, Relocating to Military Facility for Public Communication?... Not Convincing"

"Traffic Control and Communication Blackouts Every Commute... Isn't This a Nuisance?"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun. Photo by TBS Radio, screenshot from 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is considering relocating the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun criticized on the 17th, saying, "Going into a military facility to get closer to the people? I don't understand."

On the same day, Kim said on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' which he hosts, "I understand the intention to get closer to the people, but how can the Ministry of National Defense be a space to realize that intention?"

He explained, "The idea of getting closer to the people by moving to Gwanghwamun first appeared during President-elect Kim Young-sam's era," adding, "Since then, the Gwanghwamun plan has emerged with every new government inauguration but was scrapped due to various practical issues including security. This time, since Gwanghwamun is not feasible, they plan to use the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan as the presidential office."

Kim said, "(The Yoon camp) first said 'the probability of moving into the Blue House is zero,' so it seems the relocation itself is a foregone conclusion," and criticized, "They gave reasons like 'taking a step closer to the people' and 'expanding contact with the public,' but why communicate with the people in a military facility? This is unacceptable."

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is moving from his Tongui-dong office to a restaurant for lunch on the afternoon of the 17th, accompanied by Kim Han-gil, Chairman of the National Unity Committee, Jang Je-won, Chief of Staff to the President-elect, and Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also said, "The Ministry of National Defense building is a military security facility. Civilian access is impossible from the start," and questioned, "If the presidential office moves, security will become even tighter, not will the fences be torn down."

He continued, "Commuting is also a problem. Traffic control must be enforced every morning when going to work. That is a problem, but communication is also cut off," and criticized, "Isn't this a nuisance? I don't understand why this is happening."

Meanwhile, the Yoon camp is reportedly seriously considering relocating the presidential office from the Blue House to the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan.

Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the president-elect, held a briefing at the Yeouido party headquarters in Seoul on the same day and explained the reason for the Blue House relocation, saying, "The current Blue House structure is more focused on the president than the people. It takes considerable time to go up from the secretariat building to the president's office."

She added, "Since we vowed not to waste even a minute or a second, it is also important that the president, secretariat, and the people do not keep special distances and solve public livelihood issues quickly in real time."

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