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| ▲ A sauna installed inside former President Yoon Suk Yeol's old workspace at the former presidential office in Seoul's Yongsan district is shown in this photo taken Jan. 2, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo provided by Cheong Wa Dae shows a bedroom installed inside former President Yoon Suk Yeol's old workspace at the former presidential office in Seoul's Yongsan district. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
ex-president-former office
Ex-President Yoon's private sauna, bedroom at former office revealed
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- The private space used by former President Yoon Suk Yeol, including a sauna and a bedroom inside his former workplace, was disclosed to the media Friday.
Yoon's old workspace at the former presidential office in Seoul's Yongsan district was opened to reporters after the presidential office moved back to Cheong Wa Dae last month.
Inside the dry sauna, made of hinoki wood, a television is mounted on the wall. Next to it is a reception room fitted with a king-sized bed, sofa, restroom and other amenities.
Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, said in an interview with a YouTube channel that the installation of a sauna inside a presidential workspace is "unprecedented," describing the room as looking more like "a small hotel room."
The photos also show a private passage linking the parking lot to an underground area of the office building, which Kang described as a "secret entrance."
Kang said he had not known about the passage and had never used it since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June.
According to Kang, construction of the passage began in July 2022, about two months after Yoon took office, when he was facing criticism over late commutes from his official residence in nearby Hannam-dong. It was completed in late November, just days before he stopped holding his morning "doorstepping" press sessions.
Yoon moved the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the defense ministry compound after taking office in May 2022, citing the need for closer communication with the public. The hastily made decision, however, drew criticism for wasting taxpayers' money, as the office was relocated back to the historic Cheong Wa Dae compound last month.
Yoon is currently standing trial over his failed martial law bid in December 2024 on charges that include insurrection and abuse of power.
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