President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol has compressed the site before the Blue House into two buildings, the Gwanghwamun Government Complex in Seoul, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located, and the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense Building.



The Blue House Relocation Task Force (TF) under the Presidential Transition Committee has practically reviewed the pros and cons of the two locations, but this is the first time that President-elect Yoon has made it official.



The main building of the government complex in Seoul, which houses the Prime Minister's Office, etc., was finally excluded from the options.



On the afternoon of the 17th, Yoon-elect held a meeting with Ahn Cheol-soo, the transition chairperson, the planning coordination and foreign affairs and security division committee member, and officials from the elected secretary's office to make this decision yesterday (17th), spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye said in a press call.



Afterwards, Spokesperson Kim said in a media notice, "As a result of the meeting between 5:45 pm today and 1 hour and 15 minutes between President-elect Yoon and the attendees, the candidate site before the Blue House has been compressed into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense."



He continued, "The commissioners decided to visit the site tomorrow afternoon to inspect it."



It is said that the new Blue House site will be announced as early as this weekend after a site visit and discussion.



It is expected that President-elect Yoon will personally announce this and explain the background and meaning to the public.



Earlier, as a presidential candidate in January, Yoon-elect promised, "We will build a new presidential office at the Gwanghwamun Government Complex in Seoul."



However, after the election, security and security vulnerabilities have been highlighted, and skepticism about the 'Gwanghwamun era' is spreading.



On the premise of opening the existing Blue House site to the public, the TF strongly considered moving the President's Office and Secretariat to Yongsan.



Furthermore, after renovating the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, and preparing the official residence of the Minister of National Defense, we also considered a plan to build a new official residence on a site adjacent to Yongsan Park and move it in the future.



The National Defense Convention Center, the War Memorial of Korea, and the National Museum of Korea were also mentioned as candidate sites for the Blue House guesthouse.



At yesterday's meeting, it was reported that there were distinct opinions for and against the relocation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense.



After much debate, it is said that opinions were gathered that it is a matter to be concluded by closely examining public opinion.



At this meeting, President-elect Yoon said, "If you become a president who shines through a transparent window, how can you do whatever you want without knowing that the people are afraid?" known to be



It is interpreted as a passage that shows that the general public has an open style in mind that can be reached right up to the office building just like the White House in the United States.



A key official of the transition committee said in a phone call, "It is true that weight was put on before Yongsan at one time."



Meanwhile, Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said in a separate notice that it was "groundless" in relation to some media reports that President-elect Yoon declared the 'Yongsan Era' today (18th) and apologized for overturning his promises.



Yoon-elect's side is also pursuing a plan to fully open the current Blue House site to the general public in time for Yoon-elect's inauguration on May 10.



However, it is known that the specific opening schedule may be somewhat flexible depending on the preparation situation.



An official from Yoon-elect's side said, "It is true that the Blue House will be open since I will start working in the relocated office."



(Photo = Yonhap News)