Over 200 workers at former presidential office face job loss as Cheong Wa Dae closes to public

A view of Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno District, Seoul. Public access has been suspended since Aug. 1 for security and safety inspections ahead of President Lee Jae Myung’s return to the compound. Yonhap

More than 200 workers employed at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office-turned-public attraction, are facing job insecurity as their contracts approach expiration following the site’s closure to visitors.

The workers, responsible for cleaning, landscaping, security and guest services, were hired after the presidential office relocated to Yongsan District during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and Cheong Wa Dae was opened to the public.

Cheong Wa Dae welcomed 8.52 million visitors over the past three years. However, operations were halted in August after the presidential office announced its return to the compound on June 10.

Since then, workers have remained at home on unpaid standby, according to the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation, which manages the site under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The foundation subcontracted operations to seven service providers last year, employing a total of 225 workers, including 36 cleaners, 31 facility staff, 60 security guards, 64 guides, 13 landscapers, 13 call center workers and 8 public relations officials.

While the Moon Jae-in administration pushed for the regularization of public sector employees in 2018, many staff hired under the current administration remain indirectly employed.

With existing contracts set to expire next month and only labor-related expenses allocated in next year’s foundation budget, some analysts believe the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation itself may be dismantled.

Workers say they’ve already been told reemployment will not be possible if the presidential office relocates back to Cheong Wa Dae.

Workers from Cheong Wa Dae under the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union (KPTU) hold a press conference outside the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, Monday, calling for job security. Courtesy of the KPTU Seoul Local Public Service Branch

At a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan on Monday, members of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions demanded job guarantees.

Cleaner Im Dong-yong said, “We managed viewing routes, cleared drains, removed weeds and fallen leaves, sorted waste, and handled water supplies and cleaning equipment — we took care of every corner of Cheong Wa Dae. The thought of losing this job simply because the presidential office is moving back keeps me up at night.”

Guide Jeong San-ho added, “We served visitors with pride, even as subcontracted workers. If the livelihoods of those who maintained this space are forgotten, can Cheong Wa Dae even be properly restored? We urge the presidential office to address this responsibly.”

The workers say their roles — cleaning, security, landscaping, guiding — are essential and ongoing, and are calling for job security, a clear employment plan for any future operations at Cheong Wa Dae, and inclusion in discussions on reforms to visitor operations.

They also argue that the current indirect employment system goes against the intent of the revised Labor Union Act, which expands bargaining rights for subcontracted workers.

The presidential office has not issued a response to the workers’ demands.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.