The presidential office building is set to undergo a partial renovation to create a space to better receive visiting foreign leaders and guests, officials said Wednesday.
The former defense ministry building in Yongsan has been transformed into the presidential office in line with a campaign pledge of President Yoon Suk Yeol to relocate the top office out of the former presidential complex of Cheong Wa Dae.
Planning recently began to remodel the first-floor entrance and lobby in a way that will better reflect South Korea's national status ahead of visits by foreign leaders this year, according to the officials.
The department in charge of the project had initially proposed expanding the lobby by using some of the space lying between the correspondents' room and the press briefing room.
But Yoon made an unannounced visit to the first floor Tuesday and rejected the plan after looking at the space, the officials said.
"Take a look, yourselves," he was quoted as telling officials. "If we expand the lobby, there will be no space left here to walk. Let's forget about it."
The renovation work will still go ahead after undergoing a revision and could be completed as early as next month, according to the officials. (Yonhap)
