CABINET APPROVES RELOCATION BUDGET

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The cabinet members decided to approve for now thirty-six billion won needed to relocate the president’s office. However, it became impossible for the President-elect to move the entire presidential office to the Defense Ministry building by May 10th when he is sworn into office. The Presidential Transition Committee nonetheless said that it plans to move at least his office by the inauguration day.

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The government approved at a cabinet meeting an emergency fund of 36 billion won needed to move the president’s office. The sum includes 11.6 billion won for building security facilities and 11.8 billion for relocating the defense ministry. The amount is 13 billion won less than what Yoon requested, because of a Seoul-Washington combined drills slated for mid-April. The fund excluded the cost of setting up auxiliary presidential office departments on the lower four floors of the Defense Ministry building where the key departments overseeing the exercise are located.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "There should be no gap in our security stance. The government must fulfill its responsibility to the end."

The additional relocation cost is likely to be approved in late April after the military exercise is completed. That means the remodeling of the top office and the secretariat may begin just ten days before the inauguration. Assuming the entire presidential office takes at least 40 days to move, the relocation would be completed by the end of May at the earliest.

[Soundbite] Bae Hyun-jin(Spokesperson for President-Elect) : "It is impossible to move the entire office by May 10. It's likely to take more time after that."

The Presidential Transition Committee nonetheless plans to move at least the president’s office by then. The committee members vowed to work through the night and if there is not enough time to build the main office, a plan B includes using other rooms in the Defense Ministry building as a temporary arrangement. They are determined to move in the President-elect first and then proceed with other steps in order. Meanwhile, regarding the establishment of a controversial national crisis management center, the Committee explained there won’t be any disruptions in the system because only the lines will be replaced, not the entire server that oversees the fire, police and disaster management system.