A group of about forty people climb on to the bus after checking their names and IDs. Where are they headed?

Their destination is none other than Cheong Wa Dae, Korea’s presidential residence. This is where the president of Korea lives and works, the heart of Korean politics and governance. A part of the presidential compound was first opened to the public in 1955. Since then, Cheong Wa Dae has undergone repeated public closings and re-openings, all the while trying to get closer to the Korean people. So today’s tour is to the verdant and well-kept presidential residence.

The Cheong Wa Dae tour begins with checking the identifications of visitors. ID verification is a must for the safety of president and officials working in the compound. Here is Park Mi-sun박미선 of the Cheong Wa Dae tour team.

If you wish to tour Cheong Wa Dae, you must first apply for tour at the Cheong Wa Dae homepage at least ten days prior to the intended date. On the day of the tour you must have your personal identification to verify who you are. Absolutely no food and beverage is allowed on the premises during the tour and photography is allowed only in designated areas. Visitors may need to wait a while when unforeseen events take place in the presidential residence, but visitor cooperation is needed the most to make the tour go smooth. We also have small souvenirs for visitors to make the experience more memorable.

Foreign visitors should send their names, birthdates, passport numbers, nationality, and preferred tour date via email to the Cheong Wa Dae tour team at tour@presidenti.go.kr. The tour takes place four times a day – 10 and 11AM, 2 and 3PM. It starts in front of the Cheong Wa Dae tour information booth located in the east parking lot of Gyeongbok Palace.

Visitors with confirmed ID ride in a shuttle bus to Cheong Wa Dae, just two minutes away. The first stop is Chunchugwan, or Spring and Autumn Pavilion.
Chunchugwan was the name for the government agency in charge of record-keeping during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. Nowadays Chungchugwan refers to the building that houses the presidential press conference room and offices for local and foreign journalists. Completed in 1990, Chunchugwan with the earthen-tiled roof is in essence the press center for Cheong Wa Dae. The visitors begin their tour at the publicity hall located next to Chungchugwan. Beyond the security check points visitors see an array of items in the glass cases along the lobby walls. Here’s Park Mi-sun of the Cheong Wa Dae tour team again.

These are gifts received by the presidents. There are presents from Chinese president Hu Jin-tao and Polish president. These cases display about 45 items, which include various commemorative plates, wine glasses, and accessories. Many more items are exhibited in the main part of Cheong Wa Dae.

The PR hall presents a video of President Lee Myung-bak and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok showing various places in the Cheong Wa Dae compound.
Before the visitors move on to the main building of Cheong Wa Dae they each receive a white mug with a watercolor painting of Cheong Wa Dae as a souvenir.

Cheong Wa Dae is the official name for presidential office and residence. During the Joseon Dynasty it was used as the rear garden of Gyeongbok Palace. It was first turned into the presidential residence by former President Rhee Syngman in 1948 after the government of the Republic of Korea was established. Today’s Cheong Wa Dae is a new version, which was renovated in September 1991 during President Roh Tae-woo’s term. Measuring over 251 thousand square meters, the compound houses the presidential office, living quarters, the Chunchugwan press center, Wimin buildings where presidential aides work, presidential security department, and other adjunct bodies.

Next stop is Nokjiwon, the Green Grass Garden, where an expansive grass field and old pine trees greet visitors. Here is Choi Bo-ra of the Cheong Wa Dae tour team to tell us more.

Nokjiwon is the most beautiful place in Cheong Wa Dae. The presidential couple loves to take walks in the garden and it’s also a place where many outdoor events take place, such as the celebrations for Children’s Day and Parents’ Day. The garden has many commemorative trees. This small pine tree was planted by President Lee Myung-bak on Arbor Day in 2009. Nokjiwon was established in 1968 and currently measures approximately 3,300 square meters in area and has about 100 trees. Do you see that big tree over there? It is a Korean pine tree estimated to be around 160 years and is 17 meters tall. The four straight trees in front of you is called “jeoksong” or red pine trees for their reddish hue.

Located in the back of Gyeongbok Palace, Nokjiwon used to be the royal vegetable garden designed to promote farming and also a place where national exams were held during the Joseon Dynasty. The entire area was grassed and turned into a garden in 1968 to remove the vestige of Japanese occupation. Now it serves as an outdoor venue for various events. A traditional house can be seen behind the pine trees planted in the center of Nokjiwon.

The name of this traditional house is Sangchunje, which was built with 200 year-old Geumgang pine trees. This is where state dinners are held for foreign dignitaries. It sometimes serves as an unofficial meeting venue as well.

Sangchunje was built in 1983 to showcase Korean traditional housing to foreign guests. Now visitors move toward the Gyeongmudae site.

The path to Gyeongmudae takes visitors across a stone bridge and slightly uphill.

According to the ancient geomantic principles, the site of Cheong Wa Dae is a very fortuitous place. That is why the Japanese colonial regime built its governor-general’s residence here to trample on the spirit of the Korean royal house. Since the nation’s liberation in 1945 the building was used as the presidential office and residence, but was torn down in November 1993 and only the site remains to this day.

Now visitors finally arrive at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae, where the president oversees national affairs. The main building is marked by its paljak roof, the signature roof style of Korean architecture. The roof tiles are blue, like the name Cheong Wa Dae or Blue-tiled Building indicates. These tiles are reportedly custom-made.

These roof tiles are very beautiful. They decorate the most elegant and stylish roof style of Korean structures called paljak or hapgak roof. The tiles can supposedly retain the blue color and strength for at least 100 years.

The main Cheong Wa Dae building is composed of the two-storied central part and two single-story wings.

The first floor of the main building has the office for the First Lady and the second floor the presidential office and meeting rooms. The left wing is called Sejong Chamber, where cabinet members hold weekly meetings every Tuesday at eight in the morning. There are also portraits of past presidents in Sejong Chamber. The right wing called Chungmu Chamber after Admiral Yi Sun-shin’s penname. The room is used for luncheons, dinners, and teas for parties of 60 or fewer people.

The last course of the Cheong Wa Dae tour is Yeongbingwan meaning the guest house. This is where traditional Korean performances and state dinners are held for foreign heads of state. This is also the only place in the Cheong Wa Dae compound where visitors can go inside to look around.

Yeongbingwan is a party room. It was built in 1978 and used the best granite stone procured from Iksan, North Jeolla Province. The two-story building is taller than other ones here at 27 meters, which is equal to a five-story building. There are eighteen pillars at Yeongbingwan, but the ones in the rear are different from the ones in the front. The rear ones have joints, but not the front ones, which indicates that they were each carved out from a single piece of stone. There are three doors to Yeongbingwan and the center one is used by the president. The letter “hui” meaning “joy” in Chinese is written above each door. It is meant to give three times the joy to anyone who enters Yeongbingwan.

So that wraps up the tour of Yeongbinhwan. What were your impressions of the Korean presidential palace?

- I was really impressed. The scenery was great and the buildings looked old, but well-preserved. I hope everyone would come and tour the place.
- I’m Mari Sakurai from Japan and came to Korea for training. I was able to understand Korea better after touring Cheong Wa Dae today. It was even better because of the good weather.

There is another Cheong Wa Dae beyond Yeongbingwan’s white gate decorated with gold-plated mugunghwa, Korea’s national flower, the rose of Sharon. It’s Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae. It was used as the office for the president’s chief of staff, but was converted into an exhibition hall in 2010 after the front roadway to Cheong Wa Dae was opened to public in February 1996. Visitors to Sarangchae are greeted in the lobby by a robot.

Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae has three floors – one underground and two aboveground. The first floor houses the Republic of Korea Hall, Hi Seoul Hall, a coffee shop, a gift shop, and a craft room. On the second floor are the Presidents’ Hall, the national PR room, and the G20 rest area. The Republic of Korea Hall presents the tradition and history of Korea and the Hi Seoul Hall the changing history of the capital city. The Presidents’ Hall is the most popular among tourists, because they can take photo-shopped pictures against various spots in Cheong Wa Dae.

Visitors can get a feel for running a country at the mock presidential office made up to look exactly like the real president’s office. Cheong Wa Dae Sarangchae delights visitors with its overview of Korean culture and history as well as a fun opportunity to act like a president.

- I liked the exhibits. My children liked them, too. I want to recommend this place to foreigners.
- I found out more about Seoul in the Hi Seoul Hall. I was also amazed by all the presents from foreign dignitaries displayed on the second floor. Next to it was a photo zone where I took composite pictures with the president. I also felt like president when I sat on the presidential chair in front of the desk with G20 flags on it.

Cheong Wa Dae is not only for the president of Korea, but is open and welcoming to everyone, both domestic and foreign.