President Lee Jae Myung begins relocating the presidential office back to Seoul’s historic Blue House, reversing his predecessor’s decision.
SEOUL: South Korea’s president and his team have started moving back into Seoul’s historic Blue House.
An official confirmed the process began on Monday and will be completed by Christmas.
The president’s official move into his new residence will take longer due to security concerns.
The Blue House, known as Cheong Wa Dae, was abandoned by now-disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol.
He deemed it too “imperial” and opened it to the public instead.
Yoon was ousted in April following a disastrous imposition of martial law.
Voters elected President Lee Jae Myung in a snap election a few months later.
Lee had vowed to move both the presidential office and residence back to the Blue House if elected.
The site, named for its approximately 150,000 hand-painted blue roof tiles, housed South Korea’s leaders for seven decades.
It was once occupied by representatives of former colonial power Japan.
The Blue House has long been the subject of public fascination.
This is fuelled by misfortunes that have befallen past inhabitants, including assassinations, impeachments and imprisonments.
Yoon’s relocation may have been an effort to escape such a fate, which some blame on the site’s apparent bad fortune.
His move did little to save him.
Yoon is now behind bars and standing criminal trial on insurrection charges.
