Presidency's return to Blue House sparks both hope and concern for residents, businesses

The presidential office's return to the Blue House in the downtown Gwanghwamun area has sparked both hope and concern, with nearby businesses welcoming a potential economic boost and some residents bracing for disruption from protests.

The entrance to the Blue House is seen in central Seoul on Dec. 21. [YONHAP]

The presidential office's return to the Blue House in the downtown Gwanghwamun area has sparked both hope and concern, with nearby businesses welcoming a potential economic boost and some residents bracing for disruption from protests.

President Lee Jae Myung will begin working from the Blue House on Monday, nearly four years after the presidential office moved to Yongsan District, central Seoul, under former President Yoon Suk Yeol in May 2022. At midnight on Sunday, the presidential phoenix flag will come down in Yongsan and be raised again at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, marking the official transition.

Some residents in Jongno District neighborhoods like Hyoja-dong and Samcheong-dong expressed support for the move, saying the area felt safer when the president worked nearby and welcoming the symbolic return of the office to its historical home.

“Even if protests were a little inconvenient, the neighborhood felt very safe,” said Park Jeong-mi, who has lived in Hyoja-dong for two decades. “It felt reassuring to know the president lived nearby.”

Local businesses also saw the move as a positive shift.

Kim Gwang-jae, who runs a Korean restaurant in nearby Gungjeong-dong, said they have started seeing more police officers dine in his restaurant.

“Business was unstable over the past two years, but it’s picked up lately,” Kim said.

A new sign outside his restaurant advertises discounts for police officers and Blue House staff.

A sign reading “Police and Blue House staff discount” hangs in front of a Korean restaurant near the Blue House in central Seoul on Dec. 28. [KIM YE-JUNG]

Roughly 400 staff members are expected to work at the Blue House, excluding security personnel. Including public servants dispatched from ministries and service staff, the total number of workers on site could number in the thousands.

“I lost all my Blue House-related sales when the office moved to Yongsan,” said Byeon Jeong-suk, a stationery shop owner near Gyeongbok Palace. “But about a month ago, I started keeping a separate record for Blue House staff again.”

Still, others voiced concern about the return of loud and frequent protests near the Blue House.

La So-jeong, a high school student living in Singyo-dong, recalled having to study at distant cafes to avoid the noise before the presidential workplace moved to Yongsan.

"Some students stopped coming because of the protest noise,” said the owner of an unmanned study cafe. “Now that the office is returning, I’m wondering if I need to brace for that again.”

Some Yongsan residents, meanwhile, expressed relief that the presidential office is leaving their neighborhood.

“The microphone noise from weekend protests reached all the way into our apartments,” said Seong Jeong-hyun, a security guard at a nearby residential complex.

Kim, who lives in a nearby apartment, said traffic had been paralyzed every weekend.

“I hope that gets better now,” Kim said.

The return to the Blue House has also reignited questions around protest regulations in the nearby area.

Previously, Article 11, Clause 3 of the Assembly and Demonstration Act banned protests within 100 meters (328 feet) of the president’s residence. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration invoked the clause to block rallies near the Yongsan office, but in 2022, the Constitutional Court struck it down for violating freedom of assembly. Lawmakers missed the deadline to revise the law, leaving no legal grounds to restrict protests near the Blue House.

The Presidential Security Service said it will adopt a policy of “transparent and unobtrusive security” to minimize disruptions for nearby residents.

Officials said they will remove bag checks and destination screenings at the former checkpoints surrounding the Blue House and maintain public access to nearby trails and jogging paths.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY MOON SANG-HYEOK, KIM YE-JUNG [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]