State Banquet Reuses Cheong Wa Dae Guesthouse... "Future Events Will Also Match National Prestige"

Reviewing Museum Hall, Chooses Former Cheongwadae Guesthouse
Seems to Judge No Suitable 'Alternative' Despite Political Concerns

President Yoon Suk-yeol is making a toast at the state banquet held at the Blue House's Yeongbingwan on the 5th in honor of Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of Vietnam.
[Photo by the Office of the President]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] On the 5th, President Yoon Suk-yeol chose the former Blue House State Guesthouse as the official dinner venue for Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of Vietnam. It was a location selected to provide a 'cordial' reception for the first state visit since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Initially, there was consideration to reuse the National Museum of Korea hall, which was temporarily used as a dinner venue during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit in May, but it was reportedly changed at the last minute.

The Presidential Office is known to have temporarily transformed the State Guesthouse, which is usually open to the public, into a 'state dinner venue.' Even during the event preparations, areas such as the Blue House main building, the official residence, Sangchunjae, and Nokjiwon were normally open to visitors, excluding the guesthouse zone.

Amid ongoing political confrontations between ruling and opposition parties over additional budget allocations to complete the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan during the year-end regular National Assembly session, there were internal concerns about political controversies, but reportedly no suitable 'alternatives' were found.

Lee Jae-myung, Deputy Spokesperson of the Presidential Office, said in a written briefing regarding the use of the Blue House State Guesthouse, "It is meaningful in terms of inheriting history and tradition and the practical reuse of space."

A key official also explained, "Although the State Guesthouse, built during the Park Chung-hee administration, is quite old, it is more dignified than most buildings and suitable for hosting national events."

The building's front is grandly decorated with four 13-meter-high granite pillars sourced from Iksan, Jeonbuk Province. The Presidential Office shared an anecdote that at the time of construction, the materials were so massive that a highway tollgate had to be dismantled to allow passage.

On the same day, President Yoon swiftly carried out the official welcoming ceremony, guestbook signing, commemorative photo session, small-scale and summit meetings, signing of agreements and memorandums of understanding, and joint press announcements at the Yongsan Presidential Office. The subsequent dinner at the State Guesthouse was the highlight of the state hospitality. It is reported that President Yoon and his aides personally explained to President Phuc the historical significance of relocating the presidential office and opening the Blue House.

The Presidential Office stated that they had not ruled out the possibility of using the Blue House State Guesthouse from the beginning. In fact, on March 20, President Yoon held a press conference to announce the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan and mentioned the possibility of temporarily using the Blue House State Guesthouse. At the conference, President Yoon said, "If we need to host foreign dignitaries, even if the Blue House area is opened as a park, it could be used for evening state dinners and similar events."

Meanwhile, the original plan to build a new State Guesthouse befitting the 'Yongsan era' has been completely shelved. After it was revealed that 49.746 billion won out of the 87.863 billion won budget for the new guesthouse construction was included in next year's government budget, it faced opposition from the opposition parties and was abandoned. At the time, President Yoon said, "We intended to prepare an event space worthy of the nation's dignity as a future national asset, but I regret that we could not sufficiently explain this intention," and ordered its withdrawal.

The Presidential Office is expected to continue using the existing State Guesthouse as a major event venue by partially renovating it, as long as a new guesthouse is not established. Additionally, the idea of adding accommodations for foreign guests is being discussed at the idea level.

Deputy Spokesperson Lee said in the briefing, "By holding events at the Blue House State Guesthouse, which has history and tradition, we expect to form close emotional bonds with domestic and foreign dignitaries." He added, "The Presidential Office will continue to inherit the history and tradition of the Blue House State Guesthouse, a precious cultural heritage, while practically utilizing the guesthouse to conduct events befitting the nation's dignity."

A key official from the Presidential Office also stated, "The Blue House State Guesthouse will continue to be open to citizens, but it can be used for its original purpose whenever necessary."