Public tours of Cheong Wa Dae to begin next month after presidential office relocation

SEOUL, April 20 (Yonhap) -- The presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae will open to the public on May 10 in line with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's pledge to return the compound to the people and relocate the presidential office, officials said Wednesday.

Officials of the presidential transition committee and the National Police Agency have decided to open the compound at 10 a.m. on Yoon's inauguration day for two-hour public tours that will take up to 6,500 visitors per tour for a total of up to 39,000 people a day.

From the second day, the tours will begin at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., officials said.

The first round of opening will last through May 20.

Visitors should first make reservations online at www.opencheongwadae.kr.

The southern side of Mount Bukak behind Cheong Wa Dae, which was largely closed to the public after a the 1968 infiltration of North Korean commandos who were on a failed mission to assassinate then-President Park Chung-hee, will also be open to the public during the period.

Relocating the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae was one of Yoon's key campaign promises.

Yoon decided to set up the new presidential office at what is now the defense ministry building in Yongsan, central Seoul, saying the relocation would help him connect better with the people.