YS's Second Son "Unacceptable"
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a statement on the 22nd clarifying that it is "not restoring the actual building" amid criticism over the plan to restore a model of the old Blue House main building. It explained that it is considering creating a small model (miniature) to guide visitors about how the building looked 30 years ago. Minister Park Bo-gyun had announced on the 21st during a work report that one of the plans for utilizing the Blue House was to promote the restoration of a model on the site of the old main building.
The old main building, completed in 1939, was the residence of three Japanese Governors-General of Korea. After liberation, it was used as the residence of the U.S. military commander for three years, and in 1948, it was utilized as Gyeongmudae, the office and residence of the first President Syngman Rhee. Former President Kim Young-sam ordered its demolition in 1993 along with the Governor-General’s Office building, aiming to restore the nation's pride and spirit.
Regarding the restoration movement, Shin Hyun-young, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed concern in a statement that "this might lead to restoring a model of the Central Government Building (Jungangcheong), which was the Governor-General’s Office." The same party’s lawmaker Jeon Jae-soo criticized on social media, saying, "We need to confirm through a government question session who is behind this restoration plan and what their intentions are."
On the 26th, when the interior of the Blue House main building was opened to the public, citizens who visited the Blue House in Jongno-gu, Seoul, lined up to tour the main building. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism previously stated that the purpose of the restoration was to reflect "the traces of presidential culture that endured the establishment of the government, the Korean War, industrialization, and democratization struggles." They argued that although the Japanese Governors-General used the building for six years, Korean presidents used it for 43 years, giving it historical significance. In response, Kim Hyun-chul, a distinguished professor at Dongguk University Graduate School of Media and Communication and son of former President Kim Young-sam, said, "I absolutely cannot tolerate the creation of a model of the dismantled Governor-General’s residence," adding that he had conveyed to Minister Park Bo-gyun that it was unacceptable.
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