Blue House Tours Suspended from August... When Will the President Return?

President Lee Jae Myung plans to relocate his office to the Blue House, and in the meantime, tours will be suspended until the renovation and repair work at the Blue House is completed. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Visits to the Blue House will be suspended starting August 1. This is due to maintenance inspections and renovation work being carried out in preparation for President Lee Jaemyung's office and the Presidential Secretariat returning to the Blue House. On July 31, the Blue House Foundation announced that comprehensive security and safety inspections, as well as facility checks, would begin on August 1.

Previously, in June, the Presidential Office submitted and passed a proposal for a 25.9 billion won reserve fund related to the return to the Blue House at a Cabinet meeting. In line with the plan to return the presidential office, starting July 16, the number of reservations and the tour routes at the Blue House were partially adjusted. Only limited outdoor tours accompanied by Blue House guides were allowed, while indoor building tours were restricted. The tour route included the State Guest House, the Main Building, the site of the old Main Building, and the Green Garden, with a maximum of 200 people per session and up to 2,000 people per day permitted.

The Blue House served as the residence and workplace of South Korean presidents for over 70 years, from the establishment of the Republic of Korea in August 1948, beginning with President Syngman Rhee and continuing through President Moon Jaein. The name "Blue House" was first used by the fourth president, Yun Posun. The current layout, including the Main Building, the presidential residence, and the Chunchugwan press center, was established by President Roh Taewoo in 1991. After taking office in 1993, President Kim Youngsam demolished the old Main Building, following a geomantic interpretation that the building was constructed during the Japanese colonial period to sever the energy flow from Bugaksan Mountain. President Kim Youngsam also opened the road in front of the Blue House and Inwangsan Mountain to the public.

President Yoon Sukyeol announced the relocation of the presidential office and secretariat to Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and the Blue House was opened to the public on May 10, 2022. The most recently disclosed cumulative number of visitors was 7,831,897 as of June 3, the day of the presidential election. Starting August 1, the Blue House will close, and the Main Building and the presidential residence?which had been fully open to the public?will undergo facility renovations and security inspections to be prepared for presidential use. The exact date for the return of the Presidential Office has not been determined. It is reported that after the renovations, limited sections of the Blue House may reopen to visitors within this year, but the timing for this partial reopening is also yet to be decided.