Nearly 60% oppose Yoon's plan to relocate presidential office

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Wed, November 29, 2023 | 04:26

Politics

Nearly 60% oppose Yoon's plan to relocate presidential office

Posted : 2022-03-22 10:47

Updated : 2022-03-22 02:51

The Ministry of National Defense main building is seen in Seoul, March 20. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday he will abandon the current mountainside presidential palace of Cheong Wa Dae and establish his office in central Seoul as part of efforts to better communicate with the public. AP-Yonhap

About 58 percent of Koreans are against President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae, while 33 percent support the idea, a poll showed Tuesday.

According to the poll of 1,018 adults, conducted by pollster Mediatomato, Saturday and Sunday, 58.1 percent said the presidential office should remain at Cheong Wa Dae and 33.1 percent said they backed the relocation plan.

On Sunday, Yoon officially announced his decision to move the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to what is now the defense 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 President Moon Jae-in has expressed opposition, saying such a hurried relocation could leave a security vacuum at a time of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

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

The survey also asked respondents whether they support granting a special pardon to former President Lee Myung-bak, imprisoned for corruption.

A total of 58.2 percent were against the pardon, while 38.2 percent supported it, the survey showed.

Yoon had planned to ask Moon for a pardon for Lee during a scheduled meeting that was called off at the last minute because working-level, pre-meeting discussions were not completed.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. (Yonhap)