Last Chance at the Blue House

The Blue House or Cheongwadae (청와대) is the South Korean presidential campus, like the US’s White House. South Korea’s recently impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, decided not to live in Cheongwadae when he was elected in 2022. This decision allowed South Koreans and tourists alike to explore all of Cheongwadae because it became a public park. However, starting in August, entrance to Cheongwadae will become restricted as the newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung, has decided to move back. Hence, it has been a frenzy at The Blue House! My friend, Megan (메간), and I got to see the chaos first hand. It took one hour to buy our tickets via the foreigner walk-in line, and to get through the entrance queue. We first visited the residence building where unfortunately, we were not allowed to go inside. Behind the residence building we found a steep trail that led us to a gorgeous city view complete with Seoul tower in the distance. The next building we toured was the main building with the blue tiled roof, which is where the Blue House gets its name. This building is the President’s office so the rooms here are for conducting important meetings and gatherings. The main building’s decor was regal, and included photos of First Ladies, portraits of presidents, and culturally significant artwork. Once we exited the main building we had been on our feet for 2 hours. We were ready to leave the chaos and head to La Suisse for lunch. I highly recommend La Suisse if you are ever in the Jongno-gu area of Seoul. The owners are a couple who also run the Seoul Chapter of Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society. I am salivating just thinking about La Suisse! To my readers - the absolute best part of the Blue house was enjoying its nature. I wish I could be president so I could enjoy Cheong Wa Dae’s trails, stream, water fall, and endless tree lined pathways every day! Thanks for reading my post! 안녕히가세요! Bye Bye!