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| Seen is the planned site for President Moon Jae-in's new private residence where he and first lady Kim Jung-sook plan to live after Moon's retirement, located in Pyeongsan Village, Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province. Korea Times file. |
By Jung Da-min
Residents of Yangsan in South Gyeongsang Province are divided over the construction of President Moon Jae-in's post-retirement private residence in the region.
Some welcome the move, while others complain the construction has been carried out without enough communication with neighbors over noise issues and other inconveniences.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, the construction of the residence, which started earlier this month, came to a halt last Friday as the President called for consultation with nearby residents who oppose the construction.
"The construction was stopped temporarily to ensure that there was no inconvenience to neighbors such as dust or noise caused by the construction," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "We plan to resume construction after communicating with the residents and checking the inconvenience."
But the official dismissed the possibility of changing the site for Moon's residence.
In April last year, President Moon and first lady Kim Jung-Sook bought a two-story house located in Pyeongsan Village of Yangsan, near his current private residence in Maegok Village of the city.
The couple and the Presidential Security Service (PSS) purchased more land around the house jointly, for a guard office and an accommodation for the guards to be built along with the couple's new house according to the relevant law. The land covers about 3,800 square meters.
A day before the construction began on April 9, Cheong Wa Dae officials held a briefing session on the construction, inviting around 10 community leaders of Pyeongsan.
But days after the construction started, 17 civic groups in the village and surrounding areas began protesting by installing multiple placards demanding a halt to the construction, which they say disrupts the daily lives of the residents. Most of the placards have since been pulled down by the city government.
The opponents say Cheong Wa Dae and the Yangsan city government are pushing ahead with the construction without enough communication with the residents, although more inconvenience is expected if Moon's residence is built and he moves there, with more visitors expected to come to the region.
Contrary to this protest, some residents of Maegok Village, about 30 kilometers from Pyeongsan Village, installed placards supporting Moon, saying they want the President to come back to Maegok after retirement, where Moon and first lady Kim used to live before he became President.
The couple had initially sought to return to Maegok after retirement but couldn't do so due to some security problems, so they instead chose Pyeongsan Village.
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| Placards of supportive messages for President Moon Jae-in are installed in Maegok Village, Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, which read "Mr. President, please come to the Maegok house," and "Mr. President, Maegok residents are waiting for you," Wednesday, in this photo provided by a local resident. Yonhap |
