The interior of Cheong Wa Dae's main office building and the former living quarters of the president on May 26 was opened to the public. Shown is the presidential office on the second floor of the building.

By Kang Gahui and Lee Jihae
Photos = Jeon Han

The interiors of Cheong Wa Dae's main office building and former living quarters of the president on May 26 was opened to the public more than two weeks after the former presidential compound was opened on May 10 for the first time in 74 years.

The Cultural Heritage Administration's (CHA) committee for opening Cheong Wa Dae to the public on May 24 announced a partial opening of the main office building's interior from May 26.

The building was the main venue at the compound used by the president for his official duties and greeting foreign guests. With its construction completed on Sept. 4, 1991, the building has a roof comprising about 150,000 tiles and enough durability to last more than a century.

The spaces in the building opened to the public are the rooms Mugunghwa and Inwang on the first floor, a separate building in the east called Chungmu, and the presidential office and reception venue for foreign guests on the second floor.

Mugunghwa is where the first lady greeted foreign guests and also served as her office, while Inwang hosted meetings, luncheons and dinners.

At the front of the building's central stairs is artist Kim Shik's work "Geumsugangsando," an image of mountains in the country.

On the second floor is the presidential office, the main room of the building. Visitors can also enter the reception room where the president greeted foreign guests.

CHA said, "We hope that the additional opening of the interior of Cheong Wa Dae's main office building will satisfy public curiosity over Cheong Wa Dae, where president worked."

The interior of the former president's office and living quarters was also opened that day. Yet while visitors can enter the main office building, they can only look through the windows of the residence.

As of midnight on May 24, the cumulative number of visitors to Cheong Wa Dae reached 5.43 million.

With the May 26 opening of Cheong Wa Dae's main office building and the former president's living quarters to the public, visitors waited for up to two hours to enter the building.