Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House, the former presidential compound in Seoul, was packed with visitors on Apr. 7, the first weekday since President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached.
More than 15,000 people visited over the weekend immediately after the Constitutional Court’s ruling, with crowds flocking to the historic site on Apr. 5 and 6.
By Monday afternoon, a line nearly 150 meters long had formed in front of the main building. At Sangchunjae, a traditional hanok known for its serene landscaping, hundreds of family visitors, including young couples pushing strollers, queued to take in the views.
Nokjiwon, the garden area featuring more than 120 tree species—including old pines and scholar trees, along with commemorative plantings by past presidents—had burst into bloom, with cherry and apricot blossoms coloring the grounds in soft pink.
The renewed attention to Cheong Wa Dae comes as discussions intensify over where the next president should work, ahead of a snap election set for June. In political circles, debate is growing over whether to keep the current presidential office in Yongsan, or to relocate it to Cheong Wa Dae or the administrative city of Sejong, with the shortened campaign period adding urgency to the decision.
Lee Hyo-min, 44, who visited from Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do (province), with his wife after taking a day off, said the uncertainty around the election prompted their trip. “We’d been putting it off for a while, but with the election coming up, we didn’t know how long the Blue House would remain open,” he said. “Now that I’ve seen it, I’m wondering why we waited so long—the scenery is just beautiful.”
An official from the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation, which operates under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said visitor numbers have more than tripled since the impeachment ruling. “Before the decision, we typically saw around 3,000 visitors a day,” the official said. “Since the ruling, that number has increased dramatically.”
