Kim Yong-hyun (former director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff), deputy chief of the Cheongwadae relocation task force (TF) spoke on President-elect Yoon Seok-youl’s plan to relocate the presidential office to Yongsan and said, “We believe March 25 is the perfect time (to relocate the office to Yongsan before the inauguration).” He also spoke about the latest discord with the finance ministry. The president-elect claimed that the finance ministry estimated the cost of the relocation to reach 49.6 billion won, but the ministry argued that they had no relevant information. Kim claimed that an official from the finance ministry was present at the meeting in which Kim, himself was present and accused the ministry for being “irresponsible.”

In a phone interview with the reporter on the night of March 24, Kim Yong-hyun said that when considering the time necessary for renovations and the move, the final deadline for relocating the presidential office to Yongsan in time for the inauguration (May 10) was March 25. As for the voices opposing the relocation, Kim said, “We need to advance with our eyes on the distant future. We can’t go very far if we are obsessed about the present.” He further said, “When the government first said it would develop Cheonggyecheon, more than 80% of the people opposed. When we developed the Gyeongbu Expressway, people even lied down on the ground (in protest).”

According to Kim, the Cheongwadae relocation task force is prepared for the possibility of President-elect Yoon having to stay in his Tongui-dong office even after his inauguration on May 10 and is prepared to use a mobile command vehicle instead of the Cheongwadae bunker. As for security, they are contemplating bullet-proof windows and using bullet-proof equipment that the presidential security office already has. The following is the questions and answers from Kim Yong-hyun’s interview.

Q. Currently, the plan to relocate Cheongwadae to Yongsan is at a standstill.

A. If the incumbent government cooperates even now, we can enter by May 10, but we think tomorrow (Mar. 25) is the deadline for the golden opportunity. The longer it is delayed after that, the longer we will have to stay in Tongui-dong. Considering the time necessary for the renovation and move, tomorrow is the last of the golden opportunity.

Q. Will you continue to use the Cheongwadae crisis management center?

A. No. We have made a mobile command center near the office in Tongui-dong. Depending on how much longer the relocation will be delayed, it is uncertain how much longer we will have to work in Tongui-dong--a week, a month or two. We need a system for command in case of an emergency, and since we have decided to open Cheongwadae to the public, there are restrictions in using its facilities. Since there is some distance with the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, there can be an absence in command. Instead, we have prepared a vehicle for state command and communication in the Tongui-dong office. The incumbent government is also using this vehicle. We plan to place it underground, below the Tongui-dong office and operate it there.”

Q. Where will you hold the National Security Council?

A. Usually, it is held in the Ministry of National Defense bunker, so we will have to see if we can use the bunker during the renovation (if the presidential office moves to Yongsan). Yoon can also preside over the National Security Council using the state command and communications vehicle I mentioned earlier. A video system, a communications network for disaster and safety control, and telephones and mobile phones are all installed in the vehicle.

Q. People are talking about installing bullet-proof windows to ensure the security of the president-elect when he remains in his office in Tongui-dong.

A. It is difficult to decide whether to install bullet-proof windows since we don’t know for how long he will stay there. He will also be restricted in tending to presidential affairs while the windows are being installed, and the cost will also be significant. It is a matter of spending the people’s taxes. The bullet-proof equipment that the security office has can have the same effect as the bullet-proof window, so we are considering various options including using that equipment.

Q. There are also many people against the relocation to Yongsan.

A. We need to advance with our eyes on the distant future. We can’t go very far if we are obsessed about the present. When the government first said it would develop Cheonggyecheon, more than 80% of the people opposed. When we developed the Gyeongbu Expressway, people even lied down on the ground (in protest). What would have happened if we didn’t push ahead with the development? I think a leader of a country needs insight that allows him to see the future.

Q. Recently when Cheongwadae opposed the relocation to Yongsan before the inauguration due to a possible absence in security, you said you were “disgusted” and stirred controversy.

A. It was my honest reaction. In the last five years, North Korea launched over forty missiles, and this government not once called it “provocation” despite such an extremely dangerous situation. We poured tens of billions of won of the taxpayer’s money into the liaison office in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, but did the government ever mention anything when the North blew it up in one instant? The September 19 military agreement and all agreements should be kept by both parties, but North Korea is not keeping any of the agreements. The government only tied the hands and feet of our military. Isn’t that an absence in security?

Q. Some point out that relocating military facilities should be conducted according to the Act on Special Account for Relocation of National Defense and Military Installations.

A. Did the current government follow all the procedures? The budget necessary for the relocation is 49.6 billion won, and it can be sufficiently covered with reserves. The reserve fund is also a part of the account. An official from the finance ministry was with the president-elect, and that was one step in the procedure. How can they make such accusations when they’re ignoring procedures and handling things as they want? That was what I was disgusted about.

Q. As for the estimate of relocation costs, the finance ministry said that it had no relevant information since the department in question did not request the reserve fund.

A. An official from the finance ministry was present when I was there, and the budget was determined in that meeting. The person I met was from the finance ministry of Korea. Then is the finance ministry that later made the announcement another finance ministry (from another country)? Now they deny it. Are they really the finance ministry of the Republic of Korea? They are being irresponsible.

Q. There is talk about a possible visit by U.S. President Joe Biden in May. If it comes true, where will the state leaders meet?

A. If the president-elect enters the office in Yongsan, the leaders can meet there. They can meet in the Joint Chiefs of Staff building (if the office has not been relocated). The grass lawn in front of the defense ministry building was designed for presidential events. We can use that facility for its purpose. Since the guesthouse is not prepared, we can use nearby facilities, such as the Ministry of National Defense Convention Center. Even if our protocol is less than perfect, I’m sure President Biden will understand since he is well aware of the present situation in Korea.

Q. Where inside the defense ministry building will the office of president-elect Yoon be located?

A. It is undecided. At first, we considered the second floor. The president-elect expressed his wishes to tend to his affairs while looking at the people taking a walk outside his window. But the second floor seemed too low, so we considered the third floor. But the space on the third floor requires reconfiguration, so we are still reviewing the issue.