South Korea's presidential office moving back to traditional Blue House

SEOUL — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is moving the presidential office back to the country’s traditional Blue House compound, ending the use of the former defense ministry complex that his ousted predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, had chosen as the seat of power.

Lee’s office said the relocation to the Blue House mansion is expected to be completed by around Christmas.

The presidential residence, however, will not be moved at the same time. Parts of the Blue House are undergoing inspections after damage was discovered during the previous administration, and further measures regarding the residence will be announced later, the office said on Monday.

Lee, who won a snap election in June, pledged during his campaign to eventually relocate the presidential office to Sejong City, south of Seoul. Several government ministries are based there, and the move is intended to help stimulate regional economies outside the capital.

The presidential office did not say what will happen to the compound Lee is vacating.

Former president Yoon, who was removed from office in April after briefly declaring martial law, broke with decades of tradition by moving both the presidential office and residence out of the Blue House.

Soon after taking office in 2022, Yoon shifted the presidential office to a cluster of former defense ministry buildings in another area of central Seoul, despite security concerns, and spent about $40 million on the relocation.

The move sparked debate among feng shui experts — a practice rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy that seeks harmony between people and their environment — after political rivals accused Yoon of being influenced by claims that the Blue House site was inauspicious.

After Yoon moved out, the Blue House was opened to the public, attracting more than 8 million visitors by mid-June this year.

The Blue House, known in Korean as “Cheong Wa Dae,” takes its name from the blue tiles that cover the main building’s roof and sits in a scenic location at the foot of Bugaksan mountain. -Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Chris Reese/Reuters