SEOUL, April 6 (Reuters) – South Korea’s cabinet on Wednesday approved nearly $30 million to help President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol move the presidential office and residence from the traditional Blue House, paving the way for a plan initially criticized by the current administration. as hasty and a threat to national security.

Yoon, breaking with tradition, plans to move the presidential office from the Blue House to the Defense Ministry compound, a step estimated to cost $40 million in the end.

Elected in a close vote on March 9, conservative Yoon called the Blue House a symbol of an “imperial presidency” and said he wanted to make the move immediately after his inauguration on May 10.

The administration of incumbent President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who was barred from running again due to term limits, first raised concerns over plans to move the presidential office , necessitating the relocation of the Ministry of Defense within weeks. He said a hasty decision could “create a security vacuum and confusion” at a time of tensions with North Korea. Read more

But Moon then asked his cabinet to approve the necessary funds, and on Wednesday the panel set aside 36 billion won ($29.5 million) in government reserve funds for initial costs. Additional funding will be discussed later, the government said. Read more

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who chaired the cabinet meeting, said the decision was taken to ensure a “smooth government transition without a security vacuum”.

North Korea has tested a series of increasingly powerful missiles, and Seoul has said the North may be preparing to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. This week, North Korea warned that it would strike the South with nuclear weapons if attacked. Read more

The move of the Blue House has drawn mixed reactions in South Korea.

Residents and environmentalists protested outside the current Defense Department compound on Wednesday, saying a hasty decision could derail a plan to create a national park at a former US military base in the neighborhood and cause traffic jams , reported the Yonhap news agency.

Yonhap also quoted an unnamed official as saying the Defense Ministry had begun preparations to move it to a nearby building.

Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.