Where will Korea's next presidential office be?

The presidential flag is absent from the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday, hours after the Constitutional Court announced its ruling to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. Yonhap

Following Yoon Suk Yeol's removal from the presidency, the future of the presidential office in Yongsan District — a key symbol of his administration — is now uncertain.

Yoon, whose impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court on Friday, had begun his term in May 2022 by relocating the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan.

Opposition lawmakers criticized his administration wasted taxpayer money with the relocation. The move cost around 82 billion won ($61 million), more than double Yoon’s initial proposal of 36 billion won. The defense ministry was subsequently forced to vacate its headquarters and move into the nearby Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) building, causing further logistical complications.

But now, with Yoon’s term abruptly cut short, it will be up to the next president to decide whether to stay in Yongsan or consider an alternative location for the presidential office.

A presidential election will take place within two months, but considering that a presidential transition committee is not established after snap elections, the incoming leader will need to make a swift decision on where to set up office.

If the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) takes power, it is unlikely that the new president will continue using the Yongsan office, which is widely considered a symbol of Yoon’s presidency.

Returning to Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential compound, is not a simple option. The site has been open to the public as a cultural attraction for the past three years, drawing millions of visitors. Reinstating it as a secure residential facility would require extensive renovations.

The DPK is floating the idea of moving the presidential office to Sejong, the administrative capital in central Korea that houses other major government complexes. Construction of a second presidential office in the city is already underway, with completion expected in 2027.

A bird’s-eye view of Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential compound, in Jongno District, Seoul / Yonhap

The party is said to be considering the relocation there in line with the ongoing construction of the second office, as well as the transfer of the National Assembly’s main building to the city. Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the DPK's leader as well as its expected candidate, was reportedly briefed about these plans in March.

Relocating the capital to Sejong, which aligns with longstanding efforts to decentralize government functions and ease overcrowding in Seoul, is considered one of the liberal party's key policies once pushed by former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.

However, should the conservative People Power Party (PPP) retain power again in the upcoming presidential election, the Yongsan office may remain in use.

Still, keeping the presidential office in Yongsan would continue to pose a burden on the military.

Due to the logistics issue of having the defense ministry and JCS sharing a building, plans were discussed to relocate the JCS out of the Yongsan compound entirely, a move estimated to cost over 200 billion won. However, the project remains in limbo.

"Things will remain undecided until the next president is elected. But if the presidential office in Yongsan is vacated, it would be natural for the defense ministry to move back in and the JCS to remain in its current building," a military official told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Yoon, who was removed from office, has yet to vacate the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, although he is expected to move out later this week.

He and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, are set to resettle in an apartment complex in Seocho District, where they lived before Yoon's presidency.

This marks a breakaway from tradition, as former presidents have typically settled in standalone houses, as an apartment setting presents logistical challenges for security. Following his impeachment, security protection is the only privilege Yoon retains as he has lost all other benefits extended to former presidents, including government-provided staff and pension.

Then-President elect Yoon Suk Yeol announces a plan to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan District, Seoul, during a briefing at the presidential transition committee's office in Seoul, March 20, 2022. Yonhap