The question of where South Korea’s presidential office should be located has reemerged as a divisive political issue in the lead-up to the June 3 presidential election, with candidates proposing a range of relocation plans in response to sustained public and institutional backlash against the current Yongsan compound.

Initially relocated from the Blue House — South Korea’s traditional seat of power — to the defense ministry’s compound in Yongsan by former President Yoon Suk-yeol in 2022, the current presidential office has since been plagued by security concerns and associated with Yoon’s martial law declaration, which have reignited calls to