SOUTH Korea’s president-elect said he will relocate his office from the “imperial” Blue House today, in a move critics claimed is linked to his belief in shamanistic spiritual practices.

Yoon Suk-yeol, who won a tight election earlier this month, pledged on the campaign trail that he will move presidential business out of the Blue House – home to South Korea’s leaders since 1948.

The former prosecutor accused the hilltop headquarters of fostering an “imperial” presidency and undermining communication with the public.

He is not the first to try to relocate. Outgoing President Moon Jae-in also pledged to move out “to eradicate the authoritarian presidential culture”, but faced security and logistical hurdles.

Those hurdles remain – the move has raised concerns for its reported cost of around 50 billion won (RM173 million), and because roads in crowded Seoul will have to be closed every day during the presidential commute.

Yoon’s critics said his desire to move is tied to his belief in feng shui, a traditional religious practice that stresses the importance of harmony between humans and nature.

The former prosecutor has been dogged by accusations of ties to a shaman, which he has denied.

The Blue House has long been rumoured to foster bad luck for its residents, given the impeachment, corruption trials and imprisonment that have befallen South Korean presidents.

At a press conference today, Yoon said he will start to work from the Defence Ministry compound after his inauguration on May 10.

“It is a difficult task, but it is a decision I made for the future of the country,” he told reporters.

Yoon said the compound is equipped with the necessary national security facilities and will minimise inconvenience compared to other possible new offices.

He said his decision is aimed at making the president more accessible and approachable, when addressing concerns around the move.

“If I move into the Blue House compound, I think it will be harder to be free from the imperial power that is symbolic of the Blue House.”

The executive office will be fully open to the public from May 10, he added.

Perched in the mountains of northern Seoul and named for its azure roof, the grounds around the Blue House were home to royalty and the colonial governor-general during Japan’s annexation of Korea.

It then became home to South Korea’s president in 1948. – AFP, March 20, 2022.