Cheong Wa Dae visits suspended

[Anchor]

The viewing of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, will be temporarily suspended starting tomorrow (8.1).

This comes ahead of President Lee Jae Myung’s anticipated return, with a pre-inspection scheduled to begin.

How will the past three years of public opening be evaluated?

Reporter Kim Bo-dam has the story.

[Report]

A long line stretches in front of the Blue House’s Chunchugwan.

Today (7.31) may be the final day for public viewing.

[Kim Jin-yeol & Kim Soo-ho/Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul: “Today is the last day the Blue House is open to the public, and since my child is on summer break, I wanted to give him a good experience.”]

For the past two weeks, only limited visitors were allowed. Starting tomorrow, viewing will be fully restricted.

This is because a full security and safety inspection will begin ahead of President Lee Jae Myung’s return to the Blue House.

The Blue House was opened to the public in May 2022 under the slogan “Return to the People.”

There were expectations that it would revitalize nearby businesses and generate at least 200 billion won in annual economic impact, but visitor numbers steadily declined over the past three years, and assessments of local business revitalization have been mixed.

[Bae Gyeong-ae/Nearby Merchant: “Many foreigners came, and Koreans also visited the Blue House and walked about this way.”]

[Nearby Merchant: “But with Blue House staff and regular customers gone, nearby businesses, restaurants, and cafes have really suffered.”]

Meanwhile, the budget for Blue House management and operations has steadily increased, totaling 63 billion won over the past three years.

While there have been positive evaluations of the historical and cultural space opening, there have also been concerns about damage to cultural assets caused by visitors.

Once renovations are complete, limited public access is expected to resume.

President Lee is planning to return to the Blue House as early as this year.

This is Kim Bo-dam, KBS News.