Seoul, Mar 21 (IANS): Nearly 280,000 South Koreans have signed an online petition to oppose President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office, it was revealed on Monday.

The petition, posted on March 17, has garnered 279,581 signatures as of Monday morning, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The government is obliged to reply when more than 200,000 people support a petition.

On Sunday, Yoon announced a decision to move the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the Defence Ministry compound in Seoul's central district of Yongsan, as he wants to move out of a "symbol of imperial power" and get closer to the people.

Under the decision, the Defense Ministry will be relocated to the Joint Chiefs of Staff building at the compound.

The petition criticised Yoon for "forcibly moving specialised facilities of the Ministry of National Defence, the last bastion of national security, for self-satisfaction".

In his announcement, the President-elect said he will move into the Defence Ministry compound immediately after his inauguration on May 10 and on the same day, Cheong Wa Dae will be fully opened to the public.

During campaigning, he had promised to relocate the presidential office to the Gwanghwamun government complex and "return" Cheong Wa Dae to the public.

The Gwanghwamun complex was however ruled out because officials said it could not be secured from outside threats, given that it is surrounded by other high-rise buildings, reducing the options to the adjacent annex used by the Foreign Ministry, and the Defence Ministry.