"Back to the Presidential Office?"... Surge in Cheongwadae Visitors After Yoon's Dismissal

Constitutional Issue Must Be Resolved for Sejong Relocation
Increasing Visits Reflect Possibility of Returning to the Blue House

Main Gate Entrance of Cheongwadae, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo

Since the Constitutional Court's dismissal decision against former President Yoon Seok-yeol, the number of visitors to the Blue House has been increasing. This change is interpreted as reflecting the possibility of returning to the Blue House amid uncertainty over the location of the next president's office.

According to the Blue House Foundation and media reports on the 10th, the number of visitors on the weekend of the 5th and 6th significantly increased compared to before. Despite rainy weather on the 5th, 5,324 people visited, and on the 6th, 10,714 people came. This is a sharp increase compared to the previous weekend (6,164 on the 29th and 4,622 on the 30th).

This is because, ahead of the presidential election on June 3, there is a heated debate about where to locate the future presidential office. There are claims that the Yongsan office has a negative image as a "place where martial law was plotted," and it is analyzed that security issues would be difficult to resolve at the Blue House, which is already open to the public.

In the case of Sejong City, the argument that it would be effective for balanced regional development has gained support, but the possibility remains uncertain because the Constitutional Court ruled that relocating the administrative capital to Sejong is unconstitutional.

Within the Democratic Party, various opinions are emerging on where to place the next president's office if they succeed in changing the administration. Internally, it is known that they are reviewing the possibility of relocating to Sejong in the long term.

Kim Yoon-duk, Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the radio that day regarding the Sejong office plan, "I hope you understand that this is a matter under review," adding, "However, we have not looked into the details much. It is a bit early to say that we will pledge it as a campaign promise or make it a policy."

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