Blue House visitor numbers rise with the temperature

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Blue House visitor numbers rise with the temperature

The number of visitors to the Blue House compound went up due to warm weather, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. Foreign visitors pose in front of the camera at the compound on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The number of visitors to the Blue House compound went up due to warm weather, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. Foreign visitors pose in front of the camera at the compound on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

 
The number of monthly visitors to the Blue House compound went up in March and April as the weather warmed up.
 
As of Monday, a total of 183,700 people visited the former presidential office compound in April, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Wednesday. In March, the figure was 154,000, a sharp increase from January’s 105,300.
 
The Blue House is nestled at the foot of Mount Bukak behind Gyeongbok Palace, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), in northern Gwanghwamun.  
 
The compound has been the president’s office and residence since the Korean government was established in 1948.
 
It was opened up to the public last May as President Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential office to Yongsan Distrct, central Seoul.
 
Since the compound opened last May until Monday, a total of 56,500 foreigners have visited the former office, which is 1.7 percent of the 3.33 million visitors during the period.
 
As the weather warmed up, the proportion of foreign visitors increased to 4.4 percent in March, and in April, the figure is approximately 4.8 percent, or 8,759 people.
 
Currently, 1,000 foreigners, people with disabilities and people over 65 can enter the site by buying a ticket on spot without a reservation. However, due to a surge of foreign visitors, the ministry will increase the ticket issuance to 2,000.
 
The presidential office delegated the culture ministry to manage the Blue House compound in March. Earlier this month, the ministry announced plans to transform the former office into a tourist hot spot. Nearby locations, including the Gyeongbok Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Seochon Village and Mount Bugak, will also be included in what the ministry calls the “Cheongwadae Tourism Cluster” in a bid to fashion the area into a landmark for K-tourism.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]
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