Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, will be closed to the public starting Friday to prepare for the return of the presidential office, nearly three years and two months after it was vacated and opened for public tours.

According to the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation on Thursday, comprehensive security and safety inspections, along with facility checks, will begin Aug. 1 in advance of the planned relocation of President Lee Jae Myung’s office to the site.

The exact timing of the move has not been confirmed. The Lee administration has stated that parts of the Blue House may remain accessible to the public, though the extent of access has yet to be determined.

The iconic compound served as the official residence and executive office of South Korean presidents for over 70 years, since the founding of the modern republic in 1948. It was opened to the public in May 2022 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol relocated the presidential office to Yongsan-gu, central Seoul.

A visitor poses in front of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Thursday, one day before it closes to the public. (Yonhap)
A visitor poses in front of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Thursday, one day before it closes to the public. (Yonhap)

Visitors walk past a gate at the Cheong Wa Dae compound on Friday. (Yonhap)
Visitors walk past a gate at the Cheong Wa Dae compound on Friday. (Yonhap)

A view of the Cheong Wa Dae compound, which served as the official residence and executive office of South Korean presidents for over 70 years until May 2022 (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)
A view of the Cheong Wa Dae compound, which served as the official residence and executive office of South Korean presidents for over 70 years until May 2022 (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

khnews@heraldcorp.com