REUTERS
December 22, 2025 at 14:11 JST
People wait in a line to get into the Blue House’s main building in Seoul on June 18. (Reuters)
SEOUL--South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is moving the presidential office back to the country's traditional Blue House compound, departing from the defense ministry complex where his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol had set up his office.
Lee's office has said it expects to complete the move to the Blue House mansion by around Christmas.
The presidential residence, however, is not moving at the same time as parts of the Blue House are undergoing an inspection due to damage that occurred during the last administration, and measures will be announced later, the office said on Monday.
Lee, who won a snap election in June, pledged during his campaign to eventually move the presidential office to Sejong city, south of Seoul, where several government ministries are located, to help boost local economies outside the capital.
The presidential office did not say on Monday what will happen to the compound Lee is leaving.
Former leader Yoon, who was removed from office in April after briefly declaring martial law, broke with decades of tradition by shifting his office and residence out of the Blue House.
Soon after taking office in 2022, Yoon moved the presidential office to a cluster of former defense ministry buildings in another area of central Seoul, defying security concerns and spending about $40 million on the move.
The move whipped up a debate among experts on feng shui, a practice that originated in ancient China to ensure harmony between people and their environment, after some political rivals accused Yoon of being influenced by those who said the Blue House location was inauspicious.
After Yoon moved out, the Blue House was opened to the public and more than 8 million people had visited by mid-June this year.
The Blue House, or “Cheong Wa Dae” in Korean, is named after the blue tiles that cover the top of the main building and is nestled in a scenic spot in front of the Bugaksan mountain.
Visitors rush to see South Korea’s Blue House before presidential return
June 19, 2025
South Korea Blue House opens to public for 1st time in 74 years
May 18, 2022
S. Korea's next leader to abandon Blue House for new office
March 20, 2022
South Korea’s cabinet clears way for presidential Blue House move
April 6, 2022
NEWSMAKER/ South Korea’s Yoon faces disgrace over declaration of martial law
January 27, 2025
Outspoken lawmaker picked to lead South Korean opposition
August 29, 2022
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
