Cabinet to approve initial budget for presidential office relocation

The Cabinet will hold an extraordinary session this week to approve reserve government funds for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plan to relocate the presidential office, Yoon’s spokesperson said Tuesday.

Yoon has been pushing to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae and into the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul, before his May 10 inauguration, saying the relocation would help him connect better with people.

In order for the project to move forward, the outgoing administration of President Moon Jae-in should approve the necessary budget. Moon’s office had initially expressed concern that a hurried relocation could leave a security vacuum, but Moon later said he would cooperate after carefully examining the project.

“I was told the reserve government funds for the relocation to Yongsan will be approved at an extraordinary Cabinet meeting tomorrow,” Kim Eun-hye, Yoon’s spokesperson, said during a press briefing.

“I believe there will be smooth cooperation,” she said, referring to last week’s dinner meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Yoon, during which Moon promised to cooperate on the basis of a careful review.

Yoon has said the relocation is expected to cost 49.6 billion won ($40.8 million), including 11.8 billion won for moving the defense ministry to the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in the same compound, 25.2 billion won for remodeling the defense ministry building into the presidential office and 9.9 billion won for moving the office of the presidential security service.

The initial budget to be approved by the Cabinet is expected to be less at around 31 billion won.

Yoon has vowed never to move into Cheong Wa Dae, calling it a “symbol of imperial power.”

Yoon’s office has said he will continue to work from the transition team’s office if the relocation is not completed by his inauguration. (Yonhap)