'Why Yongsan?'... Yoon's Side Presents Five Reasons

Yoon Suk-yeol Announces Presidential Office Relocation to Yongsan on the 20th
"Decided to Move Quickly and Proceed as the Right Course of Action"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is holding a press conference on the relocation of the Blue House presidential office to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building at the press conference room of the Presidential Transition Committee set up in the annex of the Korea Financial Training Institute in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol has decided to relocate the presidential office to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building. Regarding the question of "Why Yongsan," Yoon's team presented five reasons, including "minimizing everyday inconveniences for the public" and "realizing an open presidential office that communicates."

On the 20th, Yoon held a press conference at the Presidential Transition Committee set up in the annex of the Korea Financial Training Institute in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "Considering the aspect of causing inconvenience to the public and the aspect of fully opening the Blue House to the people, I judged that it is right to promptly decide and proceed with relocating to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building."

Initially, during the election process, Yoon had pledged to move the presidential office to Gwanghwamun, so some criticism arose regarding the move to Yongsan.

In response, Yoon's team announced the reason "to minimize everyday inconveniences to the public" through a written statement after the press conference. They explained, "The Gwanghwamun government office building may increase public inconvenience due to communication interference caused by radio wave blocking and restrictions on using Gwanghwamun Square due to bans on gatherings around the office. In contrast, the area near the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building is already designated as a military protection zone, so there are no additional regulations due to the presidential office relocation."

"Realizing an open presidential office that communicates" was another reason given. It was noted that through the opening of Yongsan Park, frequent communication with citizens would be possible.

Yoon's team described Yongsan as "the optimal location for national security protection." The Gwanghwamun government office lacks a command and control system, requiring the use of the existing Blue House command bunker facility, which limits timely responses. However, Yongsan is equipped with a system capable of command and control in emergencies, enabling rapid national security responses, which Yoon's team highly valued.

They also emphasized that Yongsan is advantageous in terms of budget. Yoon's team stated, "Considering rental costs, relocating to Yongsan is much more cost-effective and efficient than moving to Gwanghwamun."

The final reason was "the rebirth of the Blue House as a space for the people." Yoon's team said, "Not only the Blue House grounds, including Sangchunjae Nokjiwon, known as the best garden, and the Blue House main building, but also the entire area including the Bukaksan hiking trail, Seoul Fortress Wall walking path, and Gwanghwamun Square will be fully returned to the people. The lifting of military restrictions in the Gangbuk area, which had been designated as a military zone from Jeongneung to near Gyeongbokgung, will improve residents' convenience and increase added value by making Gangbuk a better place to live with development potential."

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