The Blue House, which was opened to the public on May 10, 2022.

Have you all been there?

Starting August 1, 2025, tours of the Blue House will be completely suspended.

The reason why citizens can no longer enter Cheong Wa Dae is that maintenance inspections and renovations are being carried out to prepare for the return of President Lee Jaemyung's office and the Presidential Secretariat to Cheong Wa Dae. According to the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation on July 31, Cheong Wa Dae will begin comprehensive security and safety inspections, as well as facility checks, starting August 1.

President Lee Jae-myung plans to relocate his office to the Blue House, but visits will be temporarily suspended until the renovation and repair work at the Blue House is completed. Photo by Jo Yongjun

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Previously, in June, the Presidential Office submitted and passed a proposal for a supplementary budget of 25.9 billion KRW related to the return to Cheong Wa Dae at a Cabinet meeting.

Accordingly, in line with the plan to return the presidential office, since July 16, the number of reservations and the tour routes at Cheong Wa Dae have been partially adjusted. Only limited outdoor tours accompanied by Cheong Wa Dae guides were allowed, and indoor tours of the buildings were restricted. The tour course included the State Guest House, the front of the Main Building, the former Main Building site, and the Green Support area, with a maximum of 200 people per session and up to 2,000 people per day.

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Since the establishment of the Republic of Korea government in August 1948, Cheong Wa Dae has served as the residence and workplace of the president for over 70 years, from President Syngman Rhee to President Moon Jaein. The fourth president, Yun Posun, was the first to use the name "Cheong Wa Dae," and under President Roh Tae-woo, the Main Building, official residence, and the press center Chunchugwan were newly constructed, giving Cheong Wa Dae its current appearance in 1991.

Additionally, after taking office in 1993, President Kim Youngsam demolished the old Main Building of Cheong Wa Dae. This was explained as being based on the geomantic interpretation that the building had been constructed during the Japanese colonial period to sever the vital energy line of Bugaksan Mountain. Afterward, President Kim Youngsam opened the road in front of Cheong Wa Dae and Inwangsan Mountain to the public.

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Presidential Office, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

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President Yoon Sukyeol announced the relocation of the presidential office and secretariat to Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and Cheong Wa Dae was opened to the public on May 10, 2022. The most recently released cumulative number of visitors, as of June 3, the presidential election day, was 7,831,897.

From August 1, the doors will be closed, and the Main Building and official residence, which had been fully open to the public, will undergo renovations and security checks to allow use by the president. However, the exact date for the return of the presidential office has not yet been determined.

Meanwhile, it is reported that after the renovations, limited areas of Cheong Wa Dae may reopen to visitors within this year, but the timing for this is also undecided.