Presidential Office "Does Not Recommend a New Name"... Effectively Decided as 'Yongsan Presidential Office' (Comprehensive)

"No Winning Entry, but Thanks to Citizens Participating in Contest and Preference Survey"
No Majority Votes for Itaewon-ro 22, Gukmin's House, Gukmin Office, Minum Office, or Bareunnuri
"Many Negative Opinions for Each Candidate Work"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] As the Presidential Office Renaming Committee decided on the 14th not to recommend a new name for the Presidential Office, the name of the presidential workplace has been effectively decided as 'Yongsan Presidential Office.'

Kang In-seon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, stated at a briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in the afternoon, "The Presidential Office Renaming Committee held its final meeting today and, after nearly two hours of discussion, decided not to recommend a new name."

This decision was based on the online preference survey results, where none of the five candidates received a majority of votes, and considering the negative public opinion toward each name, it was deemed difficult to gain national consensus. The most preferred name was Itaewon-ro 22 (32.1% of votes), followed by Gukmin Cheongsa (People’s Hall) at 21.8%.

Spokesperson Kang explained, "Considering the precedent of the Blue House over the past 60 years, once a name is decided, it should be used for a long time. Therefore, rather than rushing the decision, the committee agreed to take more time until a naturally appropriate name emerges." He added, "According to this decision, the committee plans to use the name 'Yongsan Presidential Office' for the time being instead of a new name."

He also expressed gratitude, saying, "Although there was no final winning entry, we thank the many citizens who participated in the naming contest and preference survey related to the new name of the Presidential Office. We also extend our thanks to the committee members who engaged in lengthy discussions."

Negative public opinion toward the shortlisted names?such as Itaewon-ro 22, Gukmin-ui Jip (People’s House), Gukmin Cheongsa (People’s Hall), Min-eum Cheongsa, and Bareun Nuri?appears to have been a major factor in not selecting a name for the presidential workplace.

A Presidential Office official explained, "Gukmin-ui Jip was evaluated as simple and easy to say, but there were concerns that translating 'Gukmin' as 'People' could be interpreted as 'Inmin' (a term used in North Korea), and it sounded similar to a political party name. Also, the pronunciation of 'ui' made it sound elongated and awkward to say. There was criticism that calling the presidential workplace 'People’s House' was strange."

The official continued, "Gukmin Cheongsa was considered easy and convenient to say, and it was praised for emphasizing communication. However, there were criticisms that it resembled the building used by the Chinese Kuomintang, and some felt uncomfortable because 'Cheongsa' is often used for temporary offices or building names."

Regarding Min-eum Cheongsa, the official said, "It was familiar due to the term Hunminjeongeum and received positive feedback for broadly listening to the people's voice. However, some felt it visually conveyed a sense of faith, giving it a religious connotation, and others said it sounded like a publishing company’s name."

Additionally, "Bareun Nuri was criticized for sounding like a combination of the Bareun Party and Saenuri Party names, and Itaewon-ro 22 was seen as imitating a foreign name or sounding like a nickname or pet name," the official added.

When asked by reporters about the Presidential Office’s thoughts on going against the public participation process in the naming contest, the official responded, "We also regret that we could not obtain a suitable name that would receive a majority through the contest. I have heard of cases where, if there is no winning entry, another name is chosen or the decision is made later."

He added, "We appreciate the citizens who participated in the preference survey and the committee members who worked hard. We hoped to have a result here, but we think we can find a name that is more widely acceptable with a little more time."

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