The former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul as of Feb. 10 broke the five million mark in the number of visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Cheong Wa Dae Foundation said on Feb. 14. Shown are visitors in June last year at the compound's main building waiting to see the exhibition "Stories of Our Presidents: The Presidents Were Here" to mark the first anniversary of Cheong Wa Dae's opening to the public. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
By Park Hye Ri
The former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae has attracted over five million visitors 21 months since its opening to the public.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Cheong Wa Dae Foundation on Feb. 14 said the figure exceeded five million on Feb. 10, which marked Seollal (Lunar New Year).
To mark Seollal, the foundation from Feb. 9-11 held events at the compound under the theme "Cheong Wa Dae: Brave Seollal" like a storytelling concert with experts and a tea ceremony.
The ceremony had visitors learning about the nation's traditional tea culture and giving Lunar New Year's wishes, receiving an enthusiastic response as all spots were sold out on the first day of reservations. Over the same period, 45,724 visitors, or an average of 15,000 per day, visited Cheong Wa Dae.
Opened to the public on May 10, 2022, the compound has held cultural events including the A+ Festival, the nation's largest culture and arts event for disabled artists, and the exhibition "Stories of Our Presidents: The Presidents Were Here," which spotlighted the lives of the nation's 12 former leaders.
"Before we knew it, over five million people had visited Cheong Wa Dae both from home and abroad," a ministry official said. "We will do everything possible to make Cheong Wa Dae a cultural space with the public through a diversity of exhibitions, education and cultural events to make people want to visit more."
hrhr@korea.kr