Yoon, Moon Clash Over Cheong Wa Dae Relocation

Yoon said he would still move regardless of the public opinion.

Each government has expressed reservations and objections about the proposal to relocate the presidential office, which has brought the existing and incoming administrations to an impasse.

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday emphasized the importance of maintaining preparedness, a statement that appeared to be a reference to President-elect Yoon Suk-plans yeol's to shift the presidential, Ministry of National Defense, and Joint Chiefs of Staff offices to a new location.

Moon stated that the country is presently facing a severe scenario "both within and outside," and that there should be no security vacuum in the country.

"As a result of the evolving worldwide security environment, which is resembling a post-Cold War framework, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are escalating," Moon stated. In the words of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, "It is past time for our military to maintain the greatest degree of security preparedness possible, and there should not be even the tiniest unsecure component in security."

"During this period of transition in government, we must be more cautious and work harder to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula," he added.

As part of his day's activities, Moon's top adviser for public relations Park Soo-hyun spoke to the media in five separate interviews, stating that, while the Moon government does not oppose the move, it is concerned about a potential security vacuum that the relocation may generate. "This is not a question of confrontation between new and old authorities," Park asserted, "but rather a subject of national security that should be debated and handled together."

A day before, the National Security Council convened an unscheduled meeting in which participants concluded that moving the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the presidential office, the presidential secretariat, and the security office in such a short period of time would be impossible due to the possibility of a security vacuum.

According to Yoon and his advisors, the new government will not relocate to Cheong Wa Dae and would instead begin operations at the new facility on January 1.

It will be difficult for Yoon to secure the funding for the relocation if the discord continues, however.

A total of 49.6 billion won ($40 million) is required for the relocation of the presidential office, with an additional 120 billion won required for the relocation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Yoon's side.

The transition committee applied for the required reserve money to cover the costs of the office's relocation. The application was approved. But Cheong Wa Dae, which thought the idea was absurd, said it would be unable to bring the proposal to the cabinet meeting quickly. The idea was not proposed by the presidential office, which had a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss it. After consideration in a cabinet meeting, the president will make the final decision on the reserve monies.

It is possible that the 49.6 billion won in reserve money will be authorized at a cabinet meeting before Yoon enters office, but follow-up actions and extra transfers will have to be funded through a supplementary budget. The permission of the National Assembly is necessary in order to establish a supplemental budget. Because the Democratic Party, which now has the majority in Congress, is fiercely opposed to the relocation of the presidential office, there is a potential that the proposal may be postponed.

Sung Jang-hyun, the mayor of Yongsan-gu, has also expressed his dissatisfaction of the relocation plan.

Yongsan-gu will be able to expand owing to the transfer of the US military post, but officials are concerned that the growth plan may be canceled or reduced in scope due to the assumption of power by President Moon Jae-in.

He predicted that the inhabitants of Yongsan-gu would be devastated if this were to occur.

Also criticizing Yoon, Sung claims that the announcement of the transfer to Yongsan-gu was made without consulting the district in advance of the announcement.

"No one has ever informed the head of the district office (about the move of the office) or inquired as to whether it would be beneficial to do so," he claimed. "Does it count as communication (as Yoon claims) when there is no conversation at all?"

According to the results of a recent poll, a majority of respondents indicated opposition to the proposed transfer of the presidential office.

Between Saturday and Sunday, a polling agency called Media Tomato polled 1,018 men and women aged 18 and older from across the country. The poll was conducted by Media Tomato. At response to Yoon's proposed move, 58.1 percent of respondents thought the present presidential office should remain in Cheong Wa Dae, while just 33.1 percent said they were in favor of the relocation proposal.

Yoon told reporters on Sunday that he would relocate the office regardless of how the public reacted to the decision.

He is well aware of the concerns that the relocation may be "too quick," but he also understands that if he enters Cheong Wa Dae, it would be more difficult to leave the compound again. Cheong Wa Dae has been referred to as "a emblem of imperial authority" by Yoon.

In Yoon's opinion, it is more vital to make judgments based on the mindset of the person in control of government than than following a survey.


Krees DG

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