Moon’s pledge to relocate Cheong Wa Dae draws ire

President Moon Jae-in has pledged to move both Cheong Wa Dae and the presidential residence to separate nearby locations, as part of his effort to “return the presidential office to the public.”

Moon said Tuesday that a discussion was underway to relocate the presidential residence to the prime minister’s residence in Samcheong-dong. On April 24, he unveiled plan to move the presidential office to the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun. Currently, both the presidential residence and office are inside Cheong Wa Dae premises.

Moon came up with the campaign pledge to become a “Gwanghwamun president,” in a bid to show his desire to become a leader who communicates well with people in Gwanghwamun Square. The square has been a symbolic place for democracy where an aggregate of nearly 20 million people gathered over the past six months to demand former President Park Geun-hye step down.

Moon’s pledge reflects his wish to differentiate himself from Park, whose seclusion inside Cheong Wa Dae triggered public anger over her inability to communicate with her staff and the people.

Moon said he would be “nothing like the former president,” stressing he would even have a drink with people going home after work near the square.

Against this backdrop, Moon is seeking to revamp the current Prime Minister’s Office to use it as his own.

The prime minister, in turn, will be asked to stay primarily in an office in the administrative city of Sejong with a new small residence to be designated soon for stays in Seoul.

However, there has been opposition to the plan. Owners of small shops near the government complex worry about possible sluggish business due to heightened presidential security as well as traffic restrictions. The restriction of telecommunications to prevent wiretapping and hacking will also inconvenience residents as well as the shop owners.

The plan to relocate the office is already under review by two special committees set up by Moon.

The committees are also considering creating a historical and cultural belt connecting Cheong Wa Dae, Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun, Seochon, Bukchon and the Jongmyo Shrine.

However, the plan is feared to infringe on people’s right to freedom of assembly. According to the law, protest rallies are banned from within 100 meters of the presidential office, the National Assembly and the Prime Minister’s Office.

If it is realized, protesters will not be able to gather in the northern part of the square and some parts of Gyeongbok Palace Station.

Ahn Jin-geol, the secretary general of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said Moon seems to have overlooked the legal technicalities.

“Given Moon’s pledge to better communicate with the public, his plan requires a revision. It must have been an honest oversight,” he said.

One of Moon’s campaign officials said the pledge will be delivered in a way that honors the original intent for him to be a “listening” leader.