The decision by South Korea’s incoming leader to move the presidential office away from its current address in the north of Seoul to an underdeveloped neighborhood best known for its U.S. military presence could significantly reshape the 600-year-old capital politically and economically.
President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, who beat out the ruling-party candidate in a closely fought election in March and who will be sworn in on Tuesday, vowed not to step into the current presidential office known as the Blue House, named for the 150,000 hand-made blue tiles that adorn its roof. He plans to move his office instead to a Defense Ministry complex in Yongsan district about 5 kilometers (3 miles) south, and open the Blue House to the public.
