Ministry of National Defense Begins Full-Scale Headquarters Relocation Starting Today

On the 7th, the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, began full-scale preparations for relocation. Following the approval of the supplementary budget expenditure plan for the presidential office relocation at the temporary Cabinet meeting held the previous day, the Ministry plans to formally contract with a professional moving company as early as today and start moving offices currently housed in the main building of the headquarters to nearby buildings, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff building and other on- and off-base facilities, by department and bureau. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The phased relocation of the Ministry of National Defense departments due to the presidential office's move to Yongsan will officially begin on the 8th.

On that day, a Ministry of National Defense official stated, "We signed a contract with the moving company on the 7th for the relocation, and have established a phased moving plan to relocate in a total of five stages."

According to the Ministry of National Defense's 'Headquarters Relocation Plan,' departments will move in groups: Group 1, including the Planning and Budget Office and the Operations Support Division, will move to the Military Court and Defense Convention buildings; Group 2, including the Office of Power Resource Management and the Office of Defense Reform, will move to the annex; and the Mobilization Planning Office and the Military Airport Relocation Project Team will move to the On-site Work Support Team building. The command offices such as the Minister and Vice Minister's offices, the Defense Policy Office, and operational and readiness departments will move to the Joint Chiefs of Staff building after the conclusion of the ROK-US combined exercises on the 28th of this month.

Additionally, the on-site departments of the Ministry of National Defense will be sequentially relocated in order from non-command departments, divided into Groups 1 to 3. However, regardless of the groupings, construction for a press-related office on the first floor and 'priority office space construction' on the fifth floor will proceed first. Although the Ministry of National Defense remained completely silent on further inquiries about these phrases, it is speculated that the first floor will be prepared as the press room for reporters covering the Blue House, and the fifth floor will be prioritized for construction as a temporary office for President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol.

Earlier, a representative from the Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) stated in a briefing that morning regarding the relocation issue, "We see two core essentials for the presidential office move," adding, "Whether a so-called 'bunker' and crisis management center will be fully equipped to prevent any security gaps," and "Whether the new president will begin work at the relocated Ministry of National Defense building," and expressed confidence that both conditions would be met before the May 10 move.

However, since the move of Group 3, which includes key command offices such as the Minister and Vice Minister's offices, is scheduled to be completed after President-elect Yoon's inauguration on the 14th of next month, it is expected that the fifth floor will be temporarily set up and used as the temporary office considering the moving schedule.

From the morning of that day, preparations for the move were in full swing within the Ministry of National Defense premises. Employees and soldiers busily moved carts and sacks by department, frequently transporting shredding vehicles. While large office equipment and furniture are the responsibility of the moving company, due to the nature of the ministry, there are many important documents, and thorough preparations are being made in advance to prevent any possible security incidents.

Some speculate that since the move is effectively being carried out in a 'quick and decisive' manner and the contingency budget allocated for relocation is limited, some departments may move to old Defense Acquisition Program Administration buildings or other long-unused locations, or move in before repairs are fully completed.

The Ministry of National Defense explained, "We have completed the furniture arrangement plans for each department's relocation through prior inspections for all departments," and "We have conducted training for employees and moving companies to prevent safety accidents and military security incidents."

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