South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back speaks during a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, 17 June 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Aug. 10 (Asia Today) -- South Korea's Defense Ministry held its first regular briefing Monday after returning to its former headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan district, ending more than four years of displacement triggered by the relocation of the presidential office under former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Jeong Bit-na described the ministry's previous move as "unreasonable and abnormal" and said its return felt like finally coming home.
"We moved under unreasonable and abnormal circumstances, and reporters also had to endure a cramped briefing room for years," Jeong said.
"It feels as though the Defense Ministry has finally returned to its own home," she said. "Going forward, the ministry will work even harder to focus on national defense policy as the military of the people."
