By Kyu-seok Shim
SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) - South Korea will begin construction of a presidential office in the administrative city of Sejong in August next year, the presidential Blue House said on Tuesday, as President Lee Jae Myung seeks to ensure the complex can be used within his term.
A tender notice for site construction will be issued on Wednesday, Blue House communication secretary Lee Kyu-youn told a press briefing.
The site will cover about 350,000 square metres (3.77 million square feet), with site preparation costs estimated at 9.8 billion won ($6.6 million) and a construction period of about 14 months, he said.
Lee Kyu-youn said the president had expressed his intention to hold his retirement ceremony in Sejong, which is about 120 kilometres (74.56 miles) south of Seoul, and had instructed officials to ensure the project proceeds without delay.
The Blue House is also holding a design competition for the new presidential office, with a winning proposal to be selected by the end of this month, followed by about a year of design work before construction begins in August next year, Lee said.
In December, President Lee moved L4N3XE021 the presidential office back to the country's traditional Blue House compound in central Seoul, departing from the defence ministry complex where his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol had set up his office.
Lee had pledged during his June 2025 presidential campaign to build a second presidential office and a National Assembly building in Sejong and to complete his term in the city.
He said expanding the presidential presence in Sejong would promote balanced regional development, help ease soaring housing prices in Seoul and fulfil a long-standing pledge to complete South Korea's administrative capital.
The Blue House said the goal is for the president to move into the Sejong office by August 2029, adding that whether it would replace the Blue House as the main presidential office would require broader public consensus and possibly legislative steps.
Sejong was created in 2012 to relieve congestion in Seoul and already hosts most government ministries, though the presidency remains based in the capital.
($1 = 1,480.30 won)
(Reporting by Kyu-seok ShimEditing by Ed Davies)
