Gominjeong: "How Did Yoon Move to the Bunker in an Emergency? The Blue House Acted Swiftly"

"Concerns Over Why the Government Wants to Become Uncommunicative from the Start"

Ko Min-jung, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Democratic Party lawmaker Go Min-jung criticized President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's decision to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan, saying, "It rather appears to be an effort to block faster communication."

On the 21st, Go posted on Facebook, expressing concern, saying, "It is worrisome why the government intends to become a non-communicative administration from the start, ignoring the concerned voices not only of the public and government officials but also of party insiders."

Regarding the Cheong Wa Dae Guesthouse used for receiving foreign dignitaries, Go pointed out President-elect Yoon's remark at a press conference the day before that "it is used only a few times a year," saying, "That is not true. The guesthouse is basically a place to welcome top foreign heads of state, but that is not all."

He added, "It is also used to host distinguished guests who are not heads of state but deserve the highest honors, such as families of the Sewol ferry victims, independence activists and their families, and the PyeongChang Paralympic athletes. Additionally, it is a venue for large-scale meetings such as the National Fiscal Strategy Meeting, the 100 Major National Tasks Reporting Conference, the 100-day Inauguration National Report, and press briefings. In other words, it is not a place used only a few times a year."

Go also raised concerns about relocating the office to Yongsan, asking, "Have you considered how you would get to the bunker in the Yongsan office in case of a security emergency occurring at dawn?" President-elect Yoon has stated that if the office is set up in the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, the official residence would be the Army Chief of Staff's residence in Hannam-dong. The distance between the Ministry of National Defense building and the Hannam-dong residence is known to take about 3 to 5 minutes by car if traffic control is in place.

Regarding this, Go said, "President Moon Jae-in worked in the same space with his secretaries and communicated frequently. The residence was also located within Cheong Wa Dae, so if urgent matters arose after work hours, he could meet immediately. Especially in cases of disasters, accidents, or security threats occurring late at night or early morning, he could respond promptly," expressing repeated doubts about relocating the presidential office to Yongsan.

He added, "It rather appears to be an effort to block communication. It is worrisome why the government intends to become a non-communicative administration from the start."

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