Presidential Office to be Called ‘Yongsan Presidential Office’ For Now

The new presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The presidential office will be called the “Yongsan Presidential Office” for now after all five candidate names were deemed unfit, the presidential spokesperson said Tuesday.

The decision was made during a meeting of a naming committee, according to the spokesperson, Kang In-sun.

“After holding a final meeting and debating for nearly two hours, the committee decided not to recommend a new name for the presidential office,” Kang said during a press briefing.

“Rather than choosing hastily, we decided to take more time until a suitable name emerges naturally,” she said.

The five candidate names — The People’s House, Itaewon-ro 22, The People’s Government Office, Mineum Government Office and Bareunnuri — were chosen from among 30,000 entries in a public contest.

None of them, however, got a majority of votes in an online preference survey, and each got negative public feedback, leading to the conclusion that none could win public consensus, Kang said.

The naming contest got under way after President Yoon Suk-yeol decided to move the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae to draw closer to the public.

The former presidential office, which was called Cheong Wa Dae because of its blue roof, was located on a secluded compound on a hill.

The new presidential office occupies the building formerly used as the headquarters of the defense ministry.

The word Mineum derives from Chinese characters that mean “people” and “voice.” Bareunnuri roughly translates to “righteous world,” while Itaewon-ro 22 combines the street address of the presidential office with 2022, the year the office opened.

(Yonhap)