YOON VISITS U.S. ARMY BASE

[Anchor Lead]

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol visited a U.S. army base in Korea for the first time since his election win. He stressed the need to further strengthen the ROK-U.S. alliance in the midst of rising tension on the Korean Peninsula. The Presidential Transition Committee reported that Yoon will start working in Yongsan from the first day of his term.

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President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol visited the U.S. army base in Pyeongtaek on Thursday and met with USFK commander Paul LaCamera. It was the first U.S. military base that Yoon visited since the election victory. He called it the heart of the Seoul-Washington alliance... and Commander LaCamera stressed the importance of the iron-clad alliance.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(President-elect) : "Commander, thank you for showing me around today."

The late Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myeong-bak, and Park Geun-hye all visited the Combined Forces Command in Yongsan before they were inaugurated. But this is the first time that a president-elect visited the Pyeongtaek base.

[Soundbite] Bae Hyun-jin(Spokesperson for President-elect) : "The President-elect said the importance of strong deterrence through the alliance and combined defense readiness cannot be emphasized enough."

Meanwhile, the relocation of the top office has begun. The Presidential Transition Committee said Yoon will begin working at the Ministry of National Defense building from the first day of his term. The Committee believes his office and key facilities can be moved by May 10th. The Committee also explained that the national risk management center, which caused a debate about security vacuum, will be ready as well. A source inside the Committee said that a military tactical system called C4I should be linked to the police and fire management system, which will be completed before the presidential term begins. However, not all parts of the top office will be ready because of the combined military drills which ends on April 28th. The Committee is reviewing the option of using a temporary office in the Defense Ministry building.