Tak Hyun-min, Direct Criticism of Yoon over '87.8 Billion Won Guesthouse Cancellation'... "Amateurism"

"Abandoning the Intact Cheongwadae Was Foreseen"
"New Construction Is a Different Issue from Reconstruction"
"Go Back to Cheongwadae"

Tak Hyun-min, former Blue House Protocol Secretary Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Juri] Former Blue House Protocol Secretary Tak Hyun-min criticized the Yoon Seok-yeol administration for planning and then withdrawing the construction of a new state guesthouse.

On the 19th, Tak posted on his social media, "Ultimately, by abandoning the perfectly fine Blue House, the events we had repeatedly warned about are becoming reality. Similar issues will continue to recur, and each time, the original sin of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration will become even clearer."

He pointed out, "The reason the Yoon Seok-yeol administration said they wanted to build a new state guesthouse was, 'Since we recklessly abandoned the Blue House, there is no suitable venue for events in Yongsan, and it would be embarrassing to return to the Blue House we gave up, so we just want to build one somewhere close to Yongsan.'"

He continued, "State guesthouses around the world serve two functions: one is accommodation for foreign dignitaries, and the other is as a venue for protocol events," adding, "Not all countries have accommodation functions in their state guesthouses."

He also said, "As I pointed out three years ago, the Blue House state guesthouse lacks accommodation facilities, is cramped, and does not properly embody the identity of the Republic of Korea. My opinion remains unchanged," but he noted, "However, new construction is a different matter from reconstruction."

Tak criticized, "If you discard the existing site and the modern history of the Blue House and simply build a new 'event hall' somewhere in Yongsan for convenience, who would welcome that? What happened to the promises made when relocating the presidential office to Yongsan, such as 'there are no problems,' 'all functions have alternatives,' and 'costs can be minimized'?"

He added, "The reason various national and presidential events under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration have become shabby is not just a 'space' issue. Their amateurism?closing the Blue House without any alternatives, without establishing countermeasures, and lacking persuasive skills?is a bigger cause," emphasizing, "So I say again: Go back. To the Blue House."

Earlier, the government allocated 87.8 billion won in next year's budget for the "Presidential Office Major Auxiliary Facilities New Construction Project" and submitted it to the National Assembly. However, after this became known and sparked fierce criticism, President Yoon Seok-yeol ordered on the 16th to completely withdraw the plan to build the state guesthouse.

Regarding this, President Yoon reportedly stated, "No matter how good the intention of establishing a national future asset is, if the public does not sympathize, it is not the time to push it through." The presidential office plans to use the multipurpose hall on the second floor of the Yongsan building, the Defense Convention Center, and the War Memorial as venues for domestic and foreign guest events for the time being.

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