South Korea's former presidential palace, the Blue House, is no longer open to the public; 8.52 million people visited in about three years and two months.

The former presidential palace, Cheong Wa Dae, in Seoul, South Korea, was closed to the public on the 31st of last month. The Blue House was established in accordance with the policy of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, and was renovated with the inauguration of the Yoon administration.
However, President Lee Jae-myung, who took office in June this year, officially announced his intention to return the presidential office to the Blue House.
Recently, the reservation website has been experiencing a surge in traffic. Even on the last day of the exhibition, many people who were lucky enough to make a reservation visited the Blue House one after another.
Work is underway. The Blue House was used as the presidential office for successive governments. The name comes from the blue tiles on the roof of the official residence. The surrounding area was originally a royal residence during the Goryeo period.
During the Japanese colonial period, the residence of the Governor-General of Korea was built in July 1939, and when the Republic of Korea was established in 1948, the first president, Lee Seung-man, converted the former residence into Gyeongmu.
It was first used as the official residence under the name Gyeongmudae, but in December 1960, the fourth president, Yun Bo-sung, changed the name to Cheong Wa Dae.
The current Blue House was completed in 1991 during the Roh Tae-woo administration.
In addition to the presidential office, the official residence where the president and his family live, and the building where his secretaries work, were built on a vast site of 25 square meters, more than three times the area of the original building.
The vastness of the building can be seen from the fact that the secretaries were stationed in buildings that were more than 500 meters apart. In the past, the Blue House was under strict security, and even the chief secretary had to go to the presidential office.
It was necessary to obtain permission by phone in advance. Regarding the Blue House, former President Yoon, who criticized the "closed-door politics" of the Moon Jae-in administration, said he wanted to close the gap with the people and "restrict the Blue House."
"I will give back to the people," he declared. The Blue House building and grounds will be open to the public in time for Yoon's presidential inauguration in May 2022.
At the time, some people praised the end of the "Cheong Wa Dae era" as a major turning point in modern Korean history. Former President Yoon lived in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, about 6 kilometers from the Blue House.
He began working in the former Ministry of National Defense building in Seoul. He also moved his official residence, which was located in the Blue House, to another location. Places that were previously off-limits to the public, such as the presidential office and cabinet meeting rooms, are now open to the public.
Since its opening to the public, a total of approximately 8.52 million people have visited the Blue House from May 10, 2022, to the 31st of last month. Meanwhile, Lee Jae-myung, who took office as president in June this year, has been a presidential candidate since his inception.
Regarding the presidential office in Yongsan, he pointed out that "there are serious issues with wiretapping and security," and said, "If I am elected, I will use the presidential office in Yongsan for now, but it would be better if we quickly renovated the Blue House and moved there."
Former President Yoon was impeached and removed from office for declaring "emergency martial law" in December last year, and the current presidential office has become the "stage" for that emergency martial law.
The current presidential office has a strong negative image of the previous Yoon administration, and this is thought to be one of the reasons for the decision to move it again. In June, President Lee renovated the presidential office with blue-tiled roofing.
The Cabinet approved a 25.9 billion won (approximately 2.7 billion yen) budget for the restoration of the Blue House. The Blue House has been open to the public for about three years, but President Lee will move the presidential office back to the Blue House.
Following the announcement of this policy, a rush of "last-minute visitors" rushed to get a glimpse of the interior before the general public was closed. The roads near the Blue House were crowded with tourist buses carrying tour groups.
From the 16th of the month, visitors were limited to those who had made a reservation in advance, and viewing was only possible outdoors. The last day of public viewing was the 31st of last month. According to the South Korean media Financial News,
One Seoul resident who came to see the show on the 1st told the newspaper, "After failing to make a reservation three times, I finally made it on the last day. It's hot, but I'm really looking forward to it," as he waited to get in.
Some people visited the Blue House without knowing that the system had been changed to a reservation system, and were unable to view the exhibition. In preparation for the relocation of the office, the Blue House will be carrying out internal security and safety inspections, as well as repair work on the facilities.
According to Financial News, experts are calling for the Blue House to be opened even if the presidential office is returned to the Blue House.
Professor Jeong Lang-soo of the School of Tourism, who is an adjunct professor at the University of Seoul, told the newspaper, "I think it would be good to open it up to the extent that it doesn't affect business operations. Since there are many people who want to see the Blue House, it would be good to open it up to the public through events and the like."
"I think it would also be meaningful to turn it into a place for citizens to interact," he said. The Blue House Foundation has indicated that it will reopen the presidential office to the public in limited capacity once the relocation is complete, but the timing and opening date are yet to be determined.
The target area has not been determined.