"청, This Is Neither More Nor Less Than a Tourist Spot"... Concerns Over Damage, How to Manage Overflowing Trash

On the morning of the 22nd of last month, the second weekend after the Blue House was opened to the public, citizens lined up in front of the Blue House main building, waiting their turn to take commemorative photos. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] It has been about 40 days since the Blue House returned to the people. Since its opening on the 10th of last month, tens of thousands of citizens have visited daily, making it a notable attraction, but concerns have also been raised. These concerns focus on preservation methods to restore the Blue House's historical and locational significance, as well as management gaps regarding the Yeonpungmun Gate.

It is reported that an average of 24,000 visitors per day have toured the Blue House since its opening on May 10. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Blue House Public Opening Promotion Team, the cumulative number of visitors reached 777,242 as of the 10th, one month after opening. This figure is about 130,000 more than last year’s annual visitors to Changdeokgung Palace, which totaled 643,549. Compared to Gyeongbokgung Palace’s visitors (1,085,188), it amounts to 71.6%. The number of people who visited the Blue House in one month is equivalent to those who visited Gyeongbokgung over 8 to 9 months last year.

The Promotion Team stated that they will strive to provide more opportunities for the public to visit the Blue House by planning newer and more diverse events, but various issues have been raised by some.

First, an official inspection by the chairpersons of the 12 subcommittees of the Cultural Heritage Committee was conducted on the 17th, 39 days after the opening. The investigation into the status of cultural heritage preservation and utilization was carried out only after the Blue House had been open and operated for over a month.

According to Yonhap News, on that day, Jeon Young-woo, chairman of the Cultural Heritage Committee, Kim Young-woon, chairman of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, and the 12 subcommittee chairpersons toured the Blue House together for the first time. They visited the State Guest House, Nokjiwon Garden, Chimnyugak Pavilion, Ounjeong Pavilion, and the Main Building.

After the inspection, Lee Jae-woon, chairman of the Historical Sites Subcommittee of the Cultural Heritage Committee, expressed concern about the overwhelming number of visitors to the Blue House. He worried that if this continues, the Blue House might become nothing more than a tourist spot. Lee emphasized, "In the long term, the Blue House should restore its historical and locational significance as the rear garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace and the president’s working space." Park Kyung-rip, chairman of the Palaces and Tombs Subcommittee, also said, "The density of the Blue House’s opening should be well controlled to find sustainable preservation methods."

Especially, the chairpersons from various research fields unanimously urged that thorough investigation and research on the historical and cultural value must precede discussions on the utilization of the Blue House. They also expressed regret, saying, "It would have been better if a preliminary inspection by the committee had been conducted before the Blue House was opened and if there had been deep discussions on how to present it to the public."

The Gyeongju Square Pedestal Stone Seated Buddha Statue, known as Minambul, is displayed on the hill behind the Blue House residence in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Management of Yeonpungmun Gate is also cited as a problem. According to Yonhap News on the 19th, trash discarded by visitors is scattered throughout the first-floor restroom of Yeonpungmun Gate, and the trash bin is overflowing with waste spilling onto the floor. Yeonpungmun, which was the reception point for letters addressed to the president, has fallen into a management gap following the presidential office’s relocation. Although the Presidential Secretariat urgently delegated facility management to the Cultural Heritage Administration, which oversees the Blue House opening event, on the 23rd of last month, the Cultural Heritage Administration admits that managing the site amid the flood of visitors is challenging.

The issue of relocating the Blue House Buddha statue, known as Minambul, has also drawn attention. The Gyeongju Square Pedestal Stone Seated Buddha Statue located behind the presidential residence within the Blue House grounds originally comes from Gyeongju. During the Japanese colonial period, Terauchi Samatake, the Governor-General of Korea in 1912, received the statue as a tribute from Kodaira Ryozo, who was then a director of the Gyeongju Financial Cooperative, and placed it at its current location. Consequently, voices have grown louder since the Blue House opening, calling for the statue to be returned to its original place as part of efforts to eliminate remnants of Japanese colonial rule.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.