58.1% S.Koreans oppose plan to relocate presidential office

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Seoul :President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol uses a visual aid to explain the relocation of Cheong Wa Dae during a press conference at his transition team's headquarters in Seoul on March 20, 2022.

Seoul, (Asian independent) About 58 per cent of South Koreans are against President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plan to move the presidential office, while some 33 per cent support the idea, a poll showed on Tuesday.

According to the poll of 1,018 adults, conducted by pollster Mediatomato, 58.1 per cent said the presidential office should remain at Cheong Wa Dae and 33.1 per cent said they back the relocation plan, reports Yonhap News Agency.

On Sunday, Yoon officially announced his decision to move the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to what is now the Defence Ministry building, saying he wants the top office to move out of a “symbol of imperial power” and get closer to the people.

But the relocation push has hit a snag as the office of outgoing President Moon Jae-in expressed opposition, saying such a hurried relocation could leave a security vacuum at a time of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Moon’s cooperation is key because he has to provide a budget for the relocation plan.