Will Return To Becoming The Presidential Office, Cheong Wa Dae Is Closed To The Public For Maintenance

Cheong Wa Dae or Blue House South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Korean Culture and Information Service/Jeon Han)

JAKARTA - Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's historic presidential complex known as the "Blue House" officially closed to the public on Friday, as South Korean President is scheduled to return to office there later this year.

The Cheong Wa Dae Foundation, which is responsible for the complex's public operations under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that all tours and public entry access have been fully suspended from Friday to allow comprehensive security and safety inspections, as well as facility maintenance.

The closure follows public access for more than three years, which makes the landmark transform from the center of state power to a Seoul tourist destination, reported The Korea Times August 1.

Cheong Wa Dae was first opened to the public in May 2022 under former President Yoon Suk-yeol, attracting 8.52 million visitors since then.

At the time, Yoon's transition committee had ambitious expectations regarding visitor numbers and economic impacts. They expect the opening of Cheong Wa Dae to result in an economic impact of around 200 billion won per year, although no specific visitor targets have yet been set publicly.

"This is an important step to ensure that the location is ready to safely return to the president's office and residence," the foundation said.

"Although we plan to reopen public access in the future, no date has yet been set," he continued.

President Lee Jae-myung, who took office in June, has made returning the president's office to Cheong Wa Dae one of the core campaign promises.

Shortly after the inauguration, President Lee carried out presidential duties from the interim office at Yongsan, citing the need for urgent improvements at Cheong Wa Dae which he repeatedly called "spaces with deep cultural symbols and values."

He also voiced concern over the office security vulnerability at Yongsan, citing his exposure and closeness to the surrounding apartment complex as a potential risk to surveillance and security.

In June, the government allocated a budget of 25.9 million won for the necessary increase and restoration of security, with a target completion of the work by the end of this year.

This amount is a significant reduction compared to costs related to the relocation of the previous presidential office to Yongsan.

Over the past three years, Cheong Wa Dae has become a popular tourist destination, but access has been gradually restricted in recent weeks as status returns as president's office get closer.

Since July 16, outdoor access has only been limited, with daily visitors limited to 2,000 people and major internal routes closed.

It is known that Cheong Wa Dae has been the symbolic center of South Korea's leadership for more than 70 years, with 12 presidents based there until 2022.

The government said it would consider reopening some of the complexes to the public once facility upgrades and security checks are completed, although the schedule has not been announced.