South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visited the country’s traditional presidential palace, Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House), on Monday. This marked his first visit to the complex since taking office in June.
Previously, impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol had moved the presidential office to the compound of the Ministry of National Defense and did not use Cheong Wa Dae for more than three years. Since May 9, 2022, the final day of former president Moon Jae-in’s term, no sitting president had visited Cheong Wa Dae until now.
After assuming office, Yoon Suk Yeol converted the defense ministry building into the presidential office and began working from there. Following Yoon’s removal from office after his brief declaration of martial law in December 2024, President Lee—who won the snap presidential election held in June—has made restoring the presidential office to Cheong Wa Dae a top priority.
This move is also being viewed as an effort to distance himself from the political legacy of his predecessor, who is currently in prison. Located at the foothills of northern Seoul, behind the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cheong Wa Dae covers an area of about 250,000 square meters. Since the establishment of the South Korean government following the end of Japanese colonial rule after World War II, the complex has been renovated over the decades and primarily used as the presidential office.
Former president Yoon had dismissed security and cost concerns, arguing that Cheong Wa Dae’s location near the mountains kept the presidency distant from the public. Claiming that the move would make the presidency more democratic, he relocated the presidential office to the Ministry of National Defense compound in Yongsan, central Seoul, at an estimated cost of around USD 40 million.
After the relocation, Yoon opened parts of Cheong Wa Dae to the public as a tourist site, attracting millions of visitors. However, Yoon—widely regarded as a hardline conservative—declared martial law on December 3, 2024, amid political deadlock with President Lee’s Liberal Democratic Party. The move was seen as the country’s most serious democratic crisis in decades and temporarily placed the legislature under control.
The martial law ended within hours after lawmakers broke through a military blockade and passed a resolution to lift it. Later that month, Yoon was impeached; in April, the Constitutional Court removed him from office, and in July he was rearrested. He is currently facing serious criminal charges, including rebellion, which could carry a sentence of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Ahead of President Lee’s visit, officials raised two presidential flags bearing phoenix symbols at Cheong Wa Dae at midnight, signaling its return as the official presidential office. Dozens of supporters gathered nearby, waving South Korean flags and chanting President Lee’s name. Security guards rendered honors as his motorcade entered through the main gate.
The presidential office later released a video showing President Lee holding a tea meeting with senior aides in a room inside Cheong Wa Dae. President Lee is currently working from his residence in another part of Seoul, and a full relocation to Cheong Wa Dae has not yet been scheduled.
