South Korea’s new president to move office to central Seoul

South Korea’s president-elect Yoon Suk Yeol outlines plans to relocate his presidential office (Jung Yeon-je/AP)

South Korea’s president-elect has announced plans to abandon the current mountainside palace of Blue House and establish his office in central Seoul as part of efforts to better communicate with the public.

Relocating the presidential office was one of Yoon Suk Yeol’s main campaign promises. The conservative former top prosecutor, whose single five-year term begins on May 10, said the location and design of the Blue House have fed criticisms that South Korean presidents are cut off from the public and wield excessive power.