South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday announced plans to relocate the presidential palace to no longer be cut off from the public, a move his critics attribute to his supposed esoteric beliefs.
Mr. Yoon, a 61-year-old conservative elected at the beginning of March as head of the country, had promised during the electoral campaign to transfer the seat of the presidency out of the “Blue House”.
He said that this palace, located on top of a hill, favors the exercise of an “imperial” presidency cut off from the population.
He is not the first president to consider such a move from the “Blue House”, the seat of the presidency since 1948.
Outgoing President Moon Jae-in had also pledged to leave “to end the authoritarian presidential culture”, before running into logistical and security problems.
Such a move also raises questions about its cost, estimated at around 50 billion won (37 million euros), and because it would force busy streets to be closed during presidential trips.
Critics of Mr Yoon have claimed that his willingness to move is linked to his belief in feng shui, which aims to harmonize the energies of a place to maximize the well-being, health and luck of its occupants.
The former prosecutor is also accused of having a close relationship with a shaman, which he denies.
For many, the “Blue House” brought bad luck to its occupants. Many South Korean presidents have ended up in prison after corruption trials.
At a press conference on Sunday, Mr Yoon said he would start working at the Ministry of Defense compound after his inauguration on May 10.
“It’s a decision I made for the future of the country,” he said, stressing that the compound of this ministry is already equipped with the necessary installations in terms of security.
“If I settle within the precincts of the + Blue House +, I think it will be more difficult for me to free myself from imperial power”, he pleaded.
The “Blue House” will be fully open to the public from May 10, he added.
Perched in the mountains north of Seoul and named for its azure roof, it housed members of the royal family as well as the colonial governor general during the annexation of Korea by Japan (1910-1945).
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