Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
President seeks to move presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae this year
A view of the main building of Cheong Wa Dae and its garden, May 9, 2023 / Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Presidential staff are working to move the presidential office back to Cheong Wa Dae this year, more than three and a half years after it was relocated to Yongsan District.
Although restoration and refurnishing work at the compound may take time due to aging facilities and damage caused over the past three years, officials from the presidential office said on Friday that the return is expected to take place no later than the end of this year.
Since his election campaign, Lee has repeatedly emphasized that the presidential office should be in Cheong Wa Dae, citing its long history, symbolic and cultural value and its superiority in terms of security.
Former president Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office in May 2022 from Cheong Wa Dae to what was previously the defense ministry building in Yongsan District, and opened Cheong Wa Dae to the public as a cultural and historical site. Public tours of the compound were suspended as of Aug. 1.
Following Lee's pledge, the government has been carrying out extensive repair work on the compound, with the Cabinet approving 25.9 billion won ($18 million) in reserve funds for the project.
Presidential officials have inspected key facilities, including staff offices and press rooms, and concluded that renovations and an enhanced security system are needed in some areas previously open to the public.
Speculation had been rising that the aging condition of the compound, coupled with a lack of maintenance and the influx of millions of visitors over the past three years, might delay the timetable for the move, possibly to next year.
Despite these challenges, the officials say they are committed to returning within the year.
“When the previous administration hurriedly moved to the Yongsan office three years ago, many facilities in the Cheong Wa Dae's key building were left damaged and have since been neglected,” one official told The Korea Times. “There’s certainly a lot to repair and fix, but given the president’s strong determination, I think the relocation is likely to happen before the year’s end.”
Tourists look around the main building of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, June 8. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki
Since opening to the public in May 2022, the former presidential compound has welcomed a total of 8,520,130 visitors, according to data from the culture ministry released by Rep. Kim Seung-su of the main opposition People Power Party. The data showed a significant increase over time in foreign visitors, whose share rose from 1.1 percent in 2022 to 5.7 percent in 2023, and then to 28.6 percent in 2024.
While nearby commercial districts, including Seochon, Bukchon and Samcheong-dong, have benefited from the tourism boom, local merchants have expressed both support and concern over the president's planned return to Cheong Wa Dae. Many fear that demonstrations and security restrictions could once again limit tourist access to the area.
Cheong Wa Dae has a long history dating back to the Goryeo Dynasty, when a royal palace was established there. During the Joseon Dynasty, it served as the rear garden of Gyeongbok Palace, and after the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, it became the presidential office and residence. The current main building of Cheong Wa Dae was constructed in 1991.