President Moon Jae-in will move out of the presidential office on May 9 a day before his successor Yoon Suk Yeol takes office.
Presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement on Friday that Moon will leave the presidential office, known as Cheong Wa Dae or Blue House, on May 9 and attend Yoon’s inauguration ceremony set for 10 a.m. the next day.
After the inauguration, Moon will head to his private house in Yangsan in South Gyeongsang Province.
With the decision, Moon is expected to spend the night of May 9, the last day of his term, at a hotel or an unidentified location in Seoul.
It’s extremely rare for an outgoing president to spend the last day of his or her term at a place that is not the official or personal residence.
Moon appears to have decided to leave the top office a day before Yoon’s inauguration given Yoon’s plans to open the Cheong Wa Dae compound to the public upon his inauguration.
Source: KBS World Radio