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| The facade of the defense ministry building in Seoul is seen in this file photo. Yonhap |
The defense ministry started full-fledged preparations Wednesday for its relocation to a nearby building and other facilities inside its compound in Seoul, after the current Cabinet approved a budget for moving the presidential office to the site.
The ministry plans to sign a contract with a private relocation company as early as Thursday in line with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office to the ministry building in Seoul's central Yongsan District from Cheong Wa Dae in the northern part of the capital, according to an official.
The ministry is set to relocate key offices, including those of the minister, vice minister and policy chief, to the nearby Joint Chiefs of Staff building within its compound, while other offices will be moved to other facilities.
Upon the relocation contract, it plans to start moving all offices in phases while key leadership offices will begin relocating after April 28, when the planned Korea-U.S. springtime military training is set to end, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
Earlier in the day, the Cabinet approved 36 billion won (US$29.5 million) in reserve government funds for the relocation.
The spending was approved in an extraordinary meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, a day after President Moon Jae-in ordered the swift approval of the relocation budget. (Yonhap)
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