[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Is It Possible to Relocate the Ministry of National Defense Building for 500 Billion Won?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been reported that the Ministry of National Defense informed the Presidential Transition Committee that at least 500 billion KRW would be required if the current Seoul Yongsan-gu office building is relocated.

According to a Ministry of National Defense official, the Ministry estimated the costs needed if the existing office building is handed over to the Blue House and moved to a new workspace, and reported this to the Transition Committee yesterday. The Ministry's estimated costs include 50 billion KRW for moving expenses, 100 to 200 billion KRW for new building construction, 100 billion KRW for communication networks, and 100 billion KRW for security facilities. Costs for relocating the US military communication network are also necessary, but these may vary depending on US military demands.

The Ministry's report assumes the construction of a new building. Inside and outside the Transition Committee, there have been discussions about dividing the Ministry's departments and relocating them to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the old office building.

The Ministry will hand over all 10 floors of the existing building to the Presidential Office. If the presidential office is located in the Ministry of National Defense building, it is likely that the official residence will be newly constructed nearby. The plan is to build a new residence south of the Ministry building, close to the Yongsan Family Park site, allowing the president to commute on foot without a vehicle. The presidential office, as well as key aides such as the Chief Secretary, will be located on the second floor of the existing Ministry building where the minister and vice ministers' offices were. The Blue House relocation task force reportedly reviewed and reported to President-elect Yoon a plan to hold Cabinet meetings in the adjacent conference room.

President-elect Yoon envisions placing the Chief Secretary and secretaries in charge of political and public relations near the new office, and establishing a public-private joint committee in the same building to hold frequent meetings. This concept appears to be inspired by the horizontal structure of the West Wing of the US White House, where the Oval Office is adjacent to the Cabinet meeting room, Vice President’s office, Chief of Staff’s office, Press Secretary’s office, and National Security Advisor’s office.

Currently, there are four entrances around the Ministry of National Defense building. Among them, the entrance toward Samgakji, which is practically closed, may be reopened and used as the main entrance of the presidential office for the time being. Additionally, a fence is expected to be erected between this main entrance and the west gate, which Ministry officials have mainly used for commuting, to separate the presidential office space from the Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff areas.

A government official said, “The amount reported to the Transition Committee is the minimum, and considering additional remodeling costs, the total cost is expected to exceed 800 billion KRW significantly.”

Meanwhile, President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is expected to announce the plan for relocating the presidential office himself at the first press conference after the Transition Committee launches on the 20th. The day before, President-elect Yoon personally toured the Ministry of National Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs buildings, which are candidates for relocation.

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