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South Korea president Li Zaiming On Monday, he made his first trip to the country’s traditional presidential palace, Cheong Wa Dae, since taking office in June, more than three years after his predecessor was ousted. Yin Xiyeol The Blue House was moved to the Ministry of National Defense.
This is the first time a president has visited the Blue House since May 9, 2022, the last day of former President Moon Jae-in’s term, before Yoon began his presidency at the renovated Defense Ministry building.
After Yoon was removed from office in December 2024 for briefly declaring martial law, Lee Myung-bak won an early presidential election in June. Lee Myung-bak spent weeks moving the presidential office back to the Blue House, also known as the Blue House, in an attempt to erase the legacy of his now-imprisoned predecessor.
Blue House is located on the low slope of a mountain in the north SeoulLocated behind the historic Gyeongbokgung Palace, it covers an area of approximately 250,000 square meters (62 acres). The site has undergone numerous renovations over the decades and has been used primarily as the country’s presidential palace since the government was established after independence from Japanese colonial rule after World War II.
Yoon Eun-hye reportedly believed that the hillside Blue House was too isolated from the public and spent about $40 million to move the presidential office to several buildings in the Yongsan Defense Ministry building in central Seoul. He dismissed concerns about safety and cost and claimed that the move would make his presidency more democratic. After the relocation, he opened parts of the Blue House to the public as tourist attractions, attracting millions of visitors.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, later triggered the country’s worst democratic crisis in decades by declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, in a standoff with Lee Myung-bak’s Liberal Democratic Party, which took control of the legislature and blocked much of his policy agenda.
Martial law lasted only a few hours after a quorum of lawmakers broke the military blockade and voted to lift it. Yin was impeached later that month, removed from office by a Constitutional Court ruling in April, and arrested again in July. He now faces serious criminal charges, including rebellion, which could carry a life sentence or death sentence.
Before Lee Myung-bak left work, officials raised a presidential flag with two phoenixes at the Blue House at midnight, marking the palace’s return to the official presidential office. As Lee Myung-bak’s motorcade passed the compound gate, guards saluted and dozens of supporters nearby waved South Korean flags and chanted his name. Lee Myung-bak’s office later released a video showing him holding a tea party with senior aides in a room at the Blue House.
Lee Myung-bak will commute from his current presidential residence in another part of Seoul until the residence moves back to the Blue House at an unspecified date, his office said.