5 months ago
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung connected Monday (December 29, 2025) commuted to Cheong Wa Dae, the country’s accepted statesmanlike palace, for the archetypal clip since taking bureau successful June, much than 3 years aft his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol moved the statesmanlike bureau to the Defence Ministry compound.
It was the archetypal clip a President had commuted to Cheong Wa Dae since May 9, 2022, the last time of erstwhile President Moon Jae-in;s term, earlier Yoon began his presidency moving retired of a converted Defence Ministry building.
Mr. Lee, who won a drawback statesmanlike predetermination successful June pursuing Yoon’s removal implicit a little declaration of martial instrumentality successful December 2024, spent weeks relocating the statesmanlike bureau backmost to Cheong Wa Dae, besides known arsenic the Blue House, arsenic helium seeks to erase the bequest of his now-jailed predecessor.
Cheong Wa Dae is nestled connected the little slopes of a upland successful bluish Seoul, occupying astir 250,000 quadrate metres (62 acres) down the historical Gyeongbokgung Palace. The site, which has undergone respective renovations implicit the decades, has served chiefly arsenic the country's statesmanlike bureau since the government’s founding pursuing independency from Japanese assemblage regularisation astatine the extremity of World War II.
Arguing that the hillside Cheong Wa Dae was excessively isolated from the public, Yoon reportedly spent astir $40 cardinal relocating the statesmanlike bureau to respective buildings astatine the Defence Ministry compound successful Yongsan successful cardinal Seoul, dismissing concerns implicit information and costs and claiming the determination would marque his presidency much democratic. Following the relocation, helium opened parts of Cheong Wa Dae to the nationalist arsenic a tourer site, which drew millions of visitors.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, aboriginal triggered the country's deepest antiauthoritarian situation successful decades erstwhile helium declared martial instrumentality connected December 3, 2024, during a standoff with Lee’s wide Democratic Party, which controlled the legislature and obstructed overmuch of his argumentation agenda.
Martial instrumentality lasted lone hours, aft a quorum of lawmakers broke done a subject blockade and voted to assistance the measure. Yoon was impeached aboriginal that month, removed from bureau successful April by a Constitutional Court ruling and re-arrested successful July. He present faces superior transgression charges, including rebellion, which carries a imaginable beingness condemnation oregon the decease penalty.
Ahead of Mr. Lee’s commute, officials raised a statesmanlike emblem featuring 2 phoenixes astatine Cheong Wa Dae astatine midnight, marking the palace's instrumentality arsenic the authoritative statesmanlike office. Guards saluted arsenic Mr. Lee's motorcade passed the compound gates, arsenic dozens of supporters adjacent waved the South Korean emblem and chanted his name. Lee's bureau aboriginal released a video of him holding a beverage gathering with elder aides successful 1 of Cheong Wa Dae’s rooms.
Mr. Lee’s bureau said helium volition commute from the existent statesmanlike residence successful different portion of Seoul until it is moved backmost to Cheong Wa Dae astatine an unspecified date.
