Explainer: With a new president likely to move the Yongsan office, where will the phoenix rise next?

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Explainer: With a new president likely to move the Yongsan office, where will the phoenix rise next?

Published: 15 Apr. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 09 Jul. 2025, 15:36

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Officials lower the phoenix flag, symbolizing the presidential office, at the Yongsan presidential compound in central Seoul on April 4, following the Constitutional Court's decision to remove impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

On April 4, the phoenix flag, symbolizing Korea’s presidential office, was lowered from the Yongsan presidential building, shortly after the Constitutional Court's decision to remove Yoon Suk Yeol from office for his martial law imposition in December.

This seemingly marked the end of the so-called Yongsan era, commencing from the start of Yoon’s presidency in May 2022, which coincided with the presidential office’s move out of the old Blue House, or Cheong Wa Dae, into the Ministry of National Defense compound in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

At the time of the move, there was much concern over security and costs, as well as the break from history and tradition.

With Yoon’s impeachment less than three years later, the nation is once again posed with the question of where the next presidential office will be located, as the liberal Democratic Party (DP) has made it clear they are not keen on staying in Yongsan, which has become synonymous with Yoon’s presidency.

With the June 3 presidential election just weeks away, the public is also wondering whether the top office will remain where it is, move back to the Blue House or be established in an entirely new location, such as the administrative city of Sejong.

Tourists flock to the Blue House, the old presidential compound in Jongno District, central Seoul on April 11. [NEWS1]

Why was the presidential office moved in the first place?

As a campaign pledge, Yoon promised to move the presidential office out of the Blue House compound at the foot of Mount Bugak in the northern Gwanghwamun neighborhood.

The idea was to make the top office less isolated and more approachable to the public and press. In turn, Yoon promised to return the Blue House to the people, and kept the pledge, opening the premises to the public with the start of his presidency on May 10, 2022.

The Blue House compound served as the president’s office and residence since the Korean government was established in 1948. The main building was completed in 1991, during the Roh Tae-woo administration. It was, however, noted for its isolation and distance between the president's office and those of his aides, as they were situated in separate buildings.

At the time of the move, rumors circulated that pungsu jiri, Korea’s system of geomancy akin to feng shui, and shamanism played a hand in Yoon’s decision to leave the Blue House complex.

After Yoon was elected into office in March 2022, he declared he would never move into the Blue House, calling it a “symbol of imperialism,” referring to the Korean governmental system that gives its presidents too much power, which ironically contributed to his own downfall.

Then President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol announces his decision to relocate the new presidential office to the Defense Ministry compound in Yongsan District in a press conference at his transition team's headquarters in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, on March 20. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Why was Yongsan chosen?

Yoon was initially sold on moving the presidential office into the government complex in Gwanghwamun but eventually settled for the Defense Ministry compound, citing cost and logistical issues.

The Defense Ministry in Yongsan had to quickly vacate its main building so the presidential office could move in with Yoon’s inauguration on May 10, 2022.

This also meant that he had to hunt for a new presidential residence, eventually settling on renovating the old foreign minister’s residence in Hannam-dong, minutes away from the Yongsan office by car. Yoon moved into his official residence in Hannam-dong in November 2022 after the renovation was completed, commuting to work from his private residence in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, in the meantime. This led to questions about why the move into Yongsan had been so rushed. It also caused inconveniences for Yongsan residents as the president commuted to work.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, waves to as he leaves the official presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, in central Seoul on April 11, one week after he was removed from office. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Yoon formally moved out of the Hannam-dong presidential office on April 11, back to his Seocho-dong apartment complex, a week after his ouster.

Upon moving to Yongsan, Yoon espoused a vision reminiscent of the U.S. president’s White House and Rose Garden. He touted that the president, aides and press would all be under one building, enabling smoother communication. The Yongsan Children's Garden, using a part of the land in front of the presidential office, was opened in May 2023, and the Korean government is working to convert returned land from the U.S. Forces Korea in Yongsan into a national park.

In keeping with his pledge to become a president more accessible to the press, Yoon started his presidency with casual daily "doorstepping sessions” in the morning on the way to work. But that fizzled in November 2022 after a spat between an MBC reporter and a presidential aide, and Yoon later was criticized for his lack of communication with the media, not even holding customary press conferences, like ones marking the New Year.

The presidential office, in turn, never even got a formal name after running a public survey in 2022 that generated a lackluster shortlist that included the “People's House,” so its name remained the “Office of the President,” while people casually refer to it as “Yongsan.”

Visitors look around the president’s main office at the Blue House in central Seoul on April 9. [YONHAP]

Can’t the next president just move back to the Blue House?

The Blue House was opened to the public with Yoon’s inauguration, and attracted tens of thousands of visitors since, with 16,038 people visiting just in the first weekend of April this year.

Considering that the Blue House compound, for decades veiled in secrecy, has been fully opened to the public, it’s not simply a matter of moving back, especially taking into account security matters.

Members of the DP since 2022 said that if the party's candidate wins the next presidential election, they have no intention of using the Yongsan office due to its association with Yoon. Some members have also cited security vulnerabilities in Yongsan such as wiretapping worries and controversies linked to shamanistic rumors.

“I think most people will agree that the presidential office shouldn't remain in Yongsan,” DP Rep. Kim Min-seok, a fourth-term lawmaker, said on April 8. “It is the epicenter of a military coup conspiracy, and practically speaking, it’s inappropriate to have the Defense Ministry housed in the same compound.”

Former DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung, a front-runner in the upcoming presidential race, has likewise indicated he will not want to move into the Yongsan office should he be elected.

Within the liberal party, there is strong support for returning the presidential office to the Blue House because of its historical and symbolic significance and convenience.

This comes despite concerns about security since the Blue House was opened to the public for three years, with members contending that it could still be used after a renovation.

Even some conservative People Power Party members have also called for a return to the Blue House, taking into consideration convenience and tradition.

It would be a practical option — even Yoon often used the Blue House to host government meetings and foreign guests during his presidency because the venue was more appropriate for such occasions.

On the other hand, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who removed himself from presidential contention, has opposed the idea of relocating the presidential office, citing the additional costs associated with a move, which would waste more taxpayer money.

The Yoon government spent an estimated 51.7 billion won ($36.2 million) on the relocation, according to data from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, while reports since have indicated that the actual costs were higher.

A view of the entrance to the Presidential Archives in Sejong City on April 8, with the Taegukgi, center, blowing in the wind. [NEWS1]

Is another site, like Sejong, an option?

Sejong City is emerging as another candidate for the presidential office relocation, backed by several presidential candidates including the liberal governor of Gyeonggi, Kim Dong-yeon.

The National Assembly’s Sejong branch is slated to be completed by 2028, and for years, presidential candidates have pledged to make the city the true administrative capital, as it already currently houses many key ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

While Sejong’s real estate market is seeing a surge due to speculation about the move of the presidential office and Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho asserting in a press conference Thursday that it is time to move the office to the administrative hub, feasibility and practicality still remain an issue. Even if a presidential office in Sejong is built, it is not likely to be completed in time for the next president to move in.

Former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyung-soo, who declared he is running for DP presidential candidate in Sejong Sunday, said in a press briefing Monday, "I propose that the ruling and opposition parties both promise not to use the presidential office in Yongsan, the center of an insurrection, even for a single day." Kim has pledged to move the top office to Sejong to enable regional balance.

The National Agency for Administrative City Construction plans to complete building the Sejong branch of the presidential office on a 150,000-square-meter (37-acre) parcel near the National Assembly's Sejong branch by 2027.

In the meantime, a hybrid solution could be reached, meaning the next president who takes office in June could use Yongsan while the Blue House is being renovated or a new office is built in Sejong.

However, liberals do not wish to enter Yongsan for a single day, with its proximity to the Defense Ministry, taking into account the accusations that Yoon masterminded an insurrection and ordered troops to drag out DP lawmakers following his martial law decree.

With a liberal president's refusal to use the Yongsan office, some options include the next Korean leader temporarily working out of the central government complex in Seoul, the adjacent Foreign Ministry building or another secure location while the Blue House is being readied for a return.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]