SEOUL (Reuters) – Outgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in said his administration will “cooperate” with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s $40-million plan to move the presidential office from the Blue House to the defence ministry compound, Yoon’s Chief of Staff said.
Yoon’s planned move from the current premises would be a break with tradition that the Ministry of Economy and Finance estimates would cost 49.6 billion won ($40.1 million), including relocating the defence ministry itself and renovating the new office and official residence.
The plan, which includes moving Yoon’s official residence to Hannam-dong, a neighbourhood that houses many business executives and diplomats, has elicited mixed reactions from South Koreans as the country faces heightened security issues after North Korea’s first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017 last week.
“President Moon Jae-in said he believes it is up to the next government to decide where the presidential office will be relocated; the current government will closely examine the budget for the exact relocation plan and cooperate,” said Yoon’s Chief of Staff Chang Je-won, who was at a private dinner on Monday between Moon and Yoon.
The pair also discussed the issue of national security, and decided to do their best to ensure there was nothing left out in the handover process, Chang said without elaborating.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
