Yoon’s plan to move presidential office remains uncertain despite Moon’s cooperation

Mar 30, 2022, 09:30 am

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President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol talk while heading to the presidential office’s Sangchunjae for a meeting on March 28, 2022./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

President Moon Jae-in has promised to ‘cooperate’ on the issue of relocating the presidential office to Yongsan at a meeting with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, but it remains uncertain whether the relocation will take place in time for Yoon’s May 10 inauguration since there was no special mention of the matter, such budget execution.

As Yoon’s inauguration is about 40 days away, Yoon is likely to begin his presidency at the transition committee office in Tongeui-dong before heading to Yongsan.

According to political sources on Tuesday, Moon told Yoon that “a determination on the relocation of the presidential office is the next government’s to make and that the current government will carefully look into and cooperate for the budget needed for the exact relocation plan.”

Observers say Moon’s latest remarks are quite changed compared to the previous de facto opposition of Cheong Wa Dae citing concerns about leaving a ‘security vacuum’. “I understood the president’s remarks as meaning that he will cooperate once the two sides share the details of the relocation at the working level,” Chang Je-won, Yoon’s chief of staff, said after the dinner, which he attended.

However, Cheong Wa Dae insiders said Moon’s remarks did not mean ‘unconditional’ cooperation. Rather, Moon emphasized that Cheong Wa Dae could ‘cooperate’ or approve budget only when Yoon’s side presents concrete plans that can convince Cheong Wa Dae.

If Yoon proposes a specific relocation plan, budget calculation, and measures to resolve ‘security vacuum’ concerned by Cheong Wa Dae, he could relocate the presidential office by his inauguration with Cheong Wa Dae’s cooperation. However, Cheong Wa Dae has clear grounds for opposing the move. Considering the current poor security situation brought by North Korea’s recent ICBM launch, the time required for relocating the Ministry of National Defense and remodeling diplomatic offices, and the time for working-level consultations, the relocation plan of the presidential office seems difficult.

#presidential office #Yoon Suk-yeol #Moon Jae-in