President Lee Jae-myung is expected to usher in a new era of the 'Blue House' as he claimed victory in the 6th and 3rd presidential election. President Lee has already announced his intention to return to the Blue House, the official office of past presidents, instead of the Yongsan Presidential Office used by former President Yoon Suk-yeol. However, since the Blue House is currently an open facility and requires repairs, he plans to stay at the Yongsan Presidential Office for the time being.
According to a report by ChosunBiz on the 4th, President Lee is expected to work from the Yongsan Presidential Office immediately after his inauguration. The reason is that, due to the early presidential election, he will start working directly without a presidential transition committee, realistically necessitating the use of the Yongsan Presidential Office. However, the plan is for the Blue House to be repaired as quickly as possible to enable presidential duties.
A key Democratic Party official told ChosunBiz, "There is no transition committee process, and the only place equipped with facilities and systems for immediate duties is the Yongsan Presidential Office," adding, "Although this is unavoidable, (President Lee) believes that he can’t stay at the Yongsan Presidential Office for long."
On the 2nd, President Lee appeared on a YouTube channel and remarked, "Generally speaking, it makes sense to go to Yongsan. (The transfer of the presidential office) incurs too much expense, takes a long time, and involves a lot of hassle," suggesting a quick return to the Blue House by saying, "I will stay here (in Yongsan) for now and then move to the Blue House as soon as it’s repaired."
Observations are prevalent that it won't take a long time to move the presidential office to the Blue House. The Blue House office could be ready as early as within 100 days of the inauguration. It is said that facilities like the YeoMinGwan office and the underground bunker where the National Security Council (NSC) meets have not been disclosed to the public, so security issues are not significant.
A Democratic Party official knowledgeable about the situation at the Blue House stated, "Since the office space and underground bunker did not allow external contact, it seems that we can conduct security checks, such as anti-eavesdropping measures, only on the areas that are already public," adding, "If related ministries like the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the National Intelligence Service form a task force (TF) and quickly proceed with the procedures, the transfer to the Blue House shouldn’t take much time."
The issue of temporary residence is also concerning. According to the Democratic Party, it is highly likely that President Yoon's former official residence, which was used as the Minister of Foreign Affairs' residence, will serve as a commuting spot to the Yongsan Presidential Office for the time being, with the Samcheong-dong Prime Minister's Official Residence also being one of the candidates. However, security measures at the Blue House residence could be completed quickly since it has allowed visitors to observe through the windows rather than through internal access.
A Democratic Party official commented, "The official residence is not completely open, and the Presidential Security Service already knows what security measures are needed," noting, "There is no need for new know-how in terms of anti-eavesdropping and security systems."