Hello, I'm Mongsil Yang from Mongsil N Tossil! :)
On May 10th, 22,
With the start of the Yoon Seok-yeol government,
The presidential office moved to Yongsan,
And the previous Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) was opened to the public, right?
Finally, I also made a reservation and visited Cheong Wa Dae with Tossil.
After visiting, I thought, "Ah, our country's presidents worked in such a dignified space!"
And it made me wonder how it would feel to commute to such a place every day.
It was too precious to keep it to myself,
So I'm planning to share photos and information on my blog!
Firstly, you can make a reservation for visiting Cheong Wa Dae on this website.
After selecting the visitor type and choosing the visit schedule,
You will receive a confirmation message on your mobile phone after entering your contact information.
Even without a separate identification card, you can enter with just the text message!
As the Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon) greeted me on the way to Cheong Wa Dae,
I was engulfed in a feeling that made me want to sing the national anthem unknowingly.
After showing the text message to the gate security officers,
I was able to enter inside the main gate of Cheong Wa Dae. :)
With the phrase "Cheong Wa Dae, Embracing the People," and seeing Cheong Wa Dae that I had only seen in photos, I could even see the distant ridge of Bukhansan Mountain at a glance.
Come to think of it, until before Cheong Wa Dae opened on May 10th, 22,
It was considered a national secret space (?),
And we couldn't see Cheong Wa Dae on domestic map applications.
But nowadays, shedding its air of mystery,
It has become a space for the people,
And now we can see street views of Cheong Wa Dae on Naver Maps or Kakao Maps.
In front of Cheong Wa Dae, there is a massive green park.
Each and every tree seemed to exude tremendous vitality,
And perhaps due to the scorching summer,
Water sprayed from misters every few minutes,
Seemingly cooling down the enthusiasm of the trees
I finally entered inside Cheong Wa Dae.
I could freely step on the rarely seen red carpet to my heart's content.
Overall, it is said to have drawn inspiration from the architecture of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace.
Upon further research, I found that it underwent renovation from the Chun Doo-hwan administration to the Roh Tae-woo administration,
and it was reconstructed to its current appearance on September 4th, 1991.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction participated in the remodeling at that time,
and Chairman Jung Joo-young devoted great effort even down to the details of door patterns.
In the space where portraits of past presidents are exhibited,
a resident interpreter was providing detailed explanations in both Korean and English.
At the eye level of each tourist,
the interpreter skillfully caught the points that seemed intriguing
and promptly mentioned them,
creating an incredibly professional impression.
As I explored every nook and cranny on the first floor,
I noticed a plethora of symbolic artifacts that are akin to our national emblems!
This folding screen was originally located in the Chungmu Hall,
and it is famous as the "10-panel folding screen that welcomed BTS."
It is a work by calligrapher Cheon Tae-in and artist Lee Soo-deok,
and it is inscribed with the phrase "아애일일신지대한민국," which can be translated as "Love, Harmony, Progress, One Nation, Korea."
I'm glad to hear that you personally liked the painting.
Each president had a separate exhibition hall dedicated to them.
Through these exhibitions, I was able to learn more about presidents like Choi Gyu-ha, whom I was relatively unfamiliar with, and President Yun Bo-seon.
In particular, it is said that President Yun Bo-seon was the one who first used the current name 'Cheong Wa Dae' for the presidential residence.
In addition, there was also a display of a bow and arrows that were personally used by former President Park Chung-hee.
It is known that President Park had a hobby of archery and would often practice shooting arrows whenever he visited the Asan National Memorial Hall in Chungcheongnam-do.
It's fascinating to hear that there was a display of a Samsung mobile phone that former President Kim Dae-jung received from Bill Gates.
Additionally, the commemorative clock gifted by former President Roh Moo-hyun to the soldiers of the Zaytun Division before their deployment for the Iraq War in 2005 also caught your attention.
In the workspace where the presidents conducted their official duties,
there was a beautiful golden eternal flame of the national flower, Mugunghwa, as a backdrop.
This is a place that we often see on TV, haha.
It's where leaders from various countries meet, shake hands, and discuss national affairs.
Unfortunately, sitting in the chairs and taking pictures is not allowed.
If you go up to the second floor, there is a space where the First Lady used to reside.
As you climb the stairs and look to the side, you will notice a large-scale map of South Korea. It is called Kim Sik's "Geumsu Gangsan Do," which depicts our country with golden waves surrounding three sides, truly showcasing the beauty of "Geumsu Gangsan" (referring to scenic mountains and rivers).
It is said that this map was created based on Kim Jeong-ho's "Daedongyeojido" from 1816.
In the space dedicated to the First Lady, there are photographs of the past First Ladies of South Korea.
Personally, I was particularly drawn to Francesca, who was the wife of former President Syngman Rhee.
It is said that during visits from court ladies, they also had conversations in this place, and a separate workspace was provided for the First Lady as well.
Currently, near Cheongwadae (the Blue House), there is an exhibition taking place at Chunghwadang to commemorate the first anniversary of Cheongwadae's opening.
The exhibition is called "Invitation, Feast."
Chunghwadang, which used to serve as a press conference room, now showcases furniture and tableware that were used in the Blue House.
You can see items such as the porcelain set used during the G20 Summit dinner in President Lee Myung-bak's era, the bronze celadon set produced during President Moon Jae-in's term, as well as sofas, desks, and cabinets that were used in the main building of Cheongwadae (the Blue House).
As the saying goes, "Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times," I believe that experiencing the elegance of Cheongwadae (the Blue House) firsthand is the best way to truly appreciate it!
These days, it's not as difficult to make reservations. Same-day reservations are also not too challenging. So, if there are still people who haven't had the chance to visit, I strongly recommend going at least once. :)
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