News summary on the way home from work, Subsletter Evening.



A plan to move the presidential office from the Blue House to the Ministry of National Defense is rapidly emerging.

Initially, President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol promised the 'Gwanghwamun Era', but there are many restrictions such as security, so the Ministry of National Defense is being considered as an alternative.

As a card that can solve the problem of the 'Gwanghwamun Office - Prime Minister's Office' plan, the 'Ministry of Defense Office - Hannam-dong Office' plan is being discussed.   


"Considering the establishment of a presidential office in the Ministry of National Defense"

A Ministry of National Defense official said that President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol recently visited the Ministry of National Defense building, and the elected party said, "We are considering a plan to set up an office in the Ministry of National Defense building."

Considering the movement of the president, if the Ministry of National Defense has an office, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Korea in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, or the official residence of the Chief of Staff of the Army, or the diplomatic mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of National Defense is strong.

When the office and official residence are confirmed in this way, the 'Yongsan President's Era' will be ushered in. 




President-elect Yoon has promised 'to end the era of the Blue House and open the era of Gwanghwamun to accompany the people', which means that he will move away from the imperial president and become closer to the people and the cabinet.

The Blue House is open to the public.

The Ministry of National Defense is being considered as a place that can solve the security problem, which is a weakness of the Gwanghwamun office, while keeping this purpose in mind.

Considering the transformation of the site of the Yongsan U.S. military base into a park, it can also be given the meaning of 'a great command that communicates close to the people'. 


Why review Yongsan?

The reason why the Ministry of National Defense is reviewing the new building is because it can solve the security and security issues to some extent.

It has fewer high-rise buildings than the Seoul Government Complex or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gwanghwamun, and it is easy to block from the outside.

The underground bunker connected to the Ministry of National Defense can be used in case of emergency, so there is no need to maintain the National Crisis Management Center under the Blue House.



Advantages other than the security issue are also being discussed.

If you have an office in Gwanghwamun, you have to go to and from the Blue House to use the guesthouse, underground bunker, and heliport.

The elected representative said, "If you go to Gwanghwamun, you will have to use half of the current Blue House (space), including a heliport and other facilities.

If that happens, the Blue House cannot be returned to the people.

If I go to Yongsan, there will be no such problem.”



It seems that the possibility of setting up an office without relocating government departments was also considered.

Even if the office is moved to the Ministry of National Defense, there is no need to relocate the Ministry of National Defense.

The president-elect believes that the office can be moved with only a slight remodeling as there is enough space left in the Ministry of National Defense new building and the ward office building.




If the office is located in the Ministry of National Defense, the official residence of the Chief of Staff in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu or the diplomatic mission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense is likely to be the presidential residence because it is close to the office.

When the president commutes to and from work, traffic is temporarily blocked for security purposes.  


Is it the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of National Defense?

Although a plan to set up a presidential office in the Ministry of National Defense is being considered, the original idea of ​​establishing an office in Gwanghwamun is still alive.

So, it can be said that they are weighing two places.

The elected party explained, "There is still an option to relocate the office to Gwanghwamun. We are looking at the pros and cons, and it is not yet finalized where we will go."



However, Rep. Yoon Han-hong, who oversees the 'Task Force before the Blue House' (TF), is telling some reporters that the Seoul Government Complex has been excluded from the candidates for the office, but there is a security problem.

So, it seems to have been compressed into two offices: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gwanghwamun and the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan.


"Confirmed by early next week"

Rep. Han-Hong Yoon is planning to gather with the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and security experts to discuss the relocation of the office, and it is known that a large number of current government officials will also attend and share the experience of promoting the 'Gwanghwamun Era' at the beginning of his administration, but failed.

There are many high-rise buildings around the government complex in Seoul, making it difficult to prepare for terrorism such as sniping. I gave up after reviewing it.

Yoo Hong-jun, who participated in the current government's Gwanghwamun Presidential Era Preparatory Committee, once said, "I have come to the conclusion that a replacement site for a major facility cannot be found near Gwanghwamun."



The elected officials say that they will reveal the specific plans for relocating the Blue House within this week at the earliest, or next week at the latest.

Whether it is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of National Defense, once it is confirmed as an office, many of the employees will have to move to another location and have to undergo remodeling work.

Officials from the elected officials explain that the office and official residence can be completed before the inauguration of President-elect Yoon until next week at the latest.


a piece of the day


A train is passing along the railroad tracks where plum blossoms are in full bloom.

It is along the Nakdong River in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, and it is said that the daytime temperature here has risen by nearly 20 degrees.