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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 21 March 2022
S. Korea’s next leader to abandon Blue House for new office

By HYUNG-JIN KIM said. He urged the presi-
Associated Press dent-elect to cancel the
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) relocation.
— South Korea’s incoming A group of 11 former heads
president said Sunday he of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
will abandon the mountain- conveyed to Yoon’s transi-
side presidential palace of tion team a statement op-
Blue House and establish posing the relocation. They
his office at the Defense said it would allow the ene-
Ministry compound in cen- my to strike the presidential
tral Seoul to better commu- office and military head-
nicate with the public. quarters simultaneously,
The plan drew an immedi- according to South Korean
ate backlash from critics of media.
the relocation plan, who Outgoing liberal President
warned that a hasty move- Moon Jae-in, a Democrat-
ment of top government ic Party member, had ear-
offices would undermine lier also promised to move
South Korea’s national se- out of the Blue House but
curity, require excessive The presidential Blue House is seen in Seoul, South Korea on March 10, 2017. canceled the plans after
spending and violate prop- Associated Press failing to find a site for the
erty rights of residents in bicycles or cars to visit the the new presidential office Party, the biggest politi- new office.
the new presidential office president. and ordinary citizens will be cal party in South Korea, Yoon said he was aware
area. Yoon told a televised news able to look at his office at said the relocation would of concerns but said if he
Relocating the presidential conference Sunday that a close distance. He said cause “a big hole in na- starts his term at the Blue
office was one of President- he chose the Defense Min- he also plans to establish a tional security” amid North House, which critics have
elect Yoon Suk Yeol’s main istry compound because press center and meet jour- Korean threats because called “a symbol of impe-
campaign promises. The it’s already equipped with nalists frequently. of the hasty movement of rial power,” it will become
conservative former top security-related command According to Yoon’s plans, key facilities at the Defense harder to move out.
prosecutor whose single facilities. He said his team the current Blue House will Ministry compound. He said “I know relocating the pres-
five-year term begins on drooped other sites be- be open to the public as some Seoul residents will idential office isn’t an easy
May 10 said the location cause of inconveniences a park on his inauguration also likely suffer “immense thing. But if I back down on
and design of the Blue to the public by presiden- day. He said he’ll collect damage” in their property a promise with the people
House have fed criticism tial security. public opinions to choose rights because of expect- (on the relocation) again,
that South Korean leaders Yoon said he’ll begin his the name of the new of- ed government-imposed no other future president
are cut off from the public term at the new office. He fice. restrictions on develop- would attempt to do it,”
and wield excessive power. said Defense Ministry of- Critics of Yoon’s plan have ments in the areas near the Yoon said. “I’ve made this
At the Blue House com- ficials would be moved called on him not to rush new office. decision for the future of
pound, offices for presi- to the Joint Chiefs of Staff the relocation, saying other “Is it appropriate to unilat- the country.”
dential advisers and the building at the compound, tasks require more urgent erally push for the reloca- Yoon said the relocation
press room are not in the and that JCS personnel attention, such as surging tion of the Blue House and would cost about 50 billion
same building where the would be moved in phases COVID-19 cases, the North the Defense Ministry, which won ($41 million). Some crit-
president works and are to a war command center Korean nuclear threat and would determine national ics earlier said it would cost
hundreds of meters (yards) on the outskirts of Seoul. diverse economic woes. security and citizens’ prop- up to 1 trillion won ($825
apart. Some former officials Yoon said a massive pub- Yun Ho-jung, a leader of erty rights, without asking million), an estimate Yoon
said they sometimes used lic park will be set up near the liberal Democratic the public opinions?” Yun called “groundless.”q

Egypt displays recently discovered

ancient tombs in Saqqara

and date back to the Old those five tombs are well- mals and after-life items
Kingdom — a period span- painted, well-decorated. used by ancient Egyptians.
ning roughly from around Excavations did not stop. The Saqqara site is part of
2700 BC to 2200 B.C., as We are planning to contin- a a sprawling necropolis
well as to the First Interme- ue our excavations. We be- at Egypt’s ancient capital
diate Period, which lasted lieve that we can find more of Memphis that includes
for over a century after the tombs in this area,” he told the famed Giza Pyramids
Old Kingdom collapsed, reporters at the site. as well as smaller pyramids
according to the Ministry of The tombs were found near at Abu Sir, Dahshur and
Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Tourism and Antiquities. the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of
Antiquities, displays a small statue at a tomb decorated with Mostafa Waziri, secretary- in the Saqqara Necropo- Memphis were designated
hieroglyphic inscriptions at a recently discovered tomb near general of the Supreme lis, 24 kilometers (15 miles) a UNESCO World Heritage
the famed Step Pyramid, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt,
Saturday, March 19, 2022. Council of Antiquities, said southwest of Cairo. site in 1970s.
Associated Press Egyptian archeologists Footage shared on the In recent years, Egypt has
started excavating the site ministry’s social media heavily promoted new ar-
By SAMY MAGDY rated ancient tombs at a in September. The tombs, pages showed burial shafts chaeological finds to inter-
Associated Press Pharaonic necropolis just he said, were for senior of- leading to the tombs. Walls national media and dip-
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt on outside the capital Cairo. ficials including regional were seen decorated with lomats in the hope of at-
Saturday displayed recent- The five tombs were un- rulers and palace supervi- hieroglyphic inscriptions tracting more tourists to the
ly discovered, well-deco- earthed earlier this month sors in ancient Egypt.”All of and images of sacred ani- country. q