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Defense Ministry receives $16M in funding to move back to Yongsan headquarters

Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 13:39 Updated: 23 Nov. 2025, 18:45

The Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, central Seoul, is seen on May 9, 2022, a day before former President Yoon Suk Yeol officially moved the presidential office to the building. [YONHAP]

With President Lee Jae Myung expected to move the presidential office back to the Blue House, the Ministry of National Defense said that it would need 23.9 billion won ($16 million) to return to its previous Yongsan headquarters.

The ministry submitted a request to the legislature for a budget increase of 23.86 billion won in next year's defense budget to fund the relocation of the ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), according to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee.

Of the amount, 13.3 billion won will go to network establishment, including computers and conference equipment; 6.6 billion won to facility maintenance; and 4 billion won to moving expenses.

The additional funding was approved during the National Defense Committee's review of next year's defense budget and is now pending review by the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts.

The Defense Ministry vacated its 10-story headquarters — currently the presidential office — in May 2022 when former President Yoon Suk Yeol relocated the presidential office to Yongsan, central Seoul. Ministry personnel moved into the neighboring JCS building. For the past three years, the Defense Ministry and JCS have been sharing that facility, with some departments moved off-site.

“The relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan forced the dispersal of the Defense Ministry, JCS and related military units, hampering operational efficiency,” the ministry said. “To enhance our performance [...] the ministry and JCS plan to return to their separate buildings within the compound [as it was before the presidential office relocation], and other units will use other available spaces.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HONG JOO-HEE [[email protected]]