Yoon promises to relocate presidential office to downtown Seoul

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol pledged Thursday if elected, he will move the presidential office and residence to downtown Seoul and return the current presidential compound to the public.

He also promised to overhaul the presidential organization in a way that private experts will participate more broadly in state affairs to set national agenda and address newly emerging challenges.

"If I become president, the current Cheong Wa Dae will disappear," Yoon, who represents the conservative People Power Party (PPP) in the March 9 election, said during a news conference at the party headquarters in Seoul.

He said he will set up a new presidential office at the government complex in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, and is considering relocating the presidential residence to the nearby prime minister's official residence.

Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, is a secluded complex of multiple buildings used as the head of state's executive office and official residence and the presidential secretariat's office.

President Moon Jae-in also pledged to move the presidential office during the 2017 election but failed to fulfill.

"A new executive office will be built at the Gwanghwamun government complex in Seoul, and it will house offices and meeting rooms for presidential staff, various public-private joint committee offices and support organizations," Yoon said.

By physically concentrating the offices, the president and staffers will be able to more closely communicate, he added.

The existing presidential complex, which covers approximately 250,000 square meters, may be turned into a historical museum or a public park, he said. Its future use will be determined after collecting public opinions, he said.

The former prosecutor general also promised to reorganize the presidential office into a combination of the presidential staff and various public-private specialized committees.

"The COVID-19 crisis is bringing about irreversible changes in various fields of society. We need to turn these into chances to leap into an advanced country, but public officials alone have a limit in solving problems and creating alternative solutions," he said.

He will invite the best and brightest from private sectors, even from among overseas Koreans, to participate in presidential public-private joint committees, which will be supported and connected by presidential staff, he said.
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