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| A crowd of visitors enters the main gate of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul during a celebratory event to mark the opening of the former presidential office and residence, May 10. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
The total number of visitors to the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae has topped the 2 million mark, data showed Sunday.
The milestone was reached around 10:35 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA).
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| People look around Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, May 10. Yonhap |
Cheong Wa Dae had been the presidential office and residence for the past 74 years in Seoul before President Yoon Suk-yeol relocated the top office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan in central Seoul.
Cheong Wa Dae opened its doors to the public on May 10 and has already drawn nearly twice as many visitors as Gyeongbok Palace, one of Seoul's most popular tourist attractions, last year.
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| A panoramic shot of the former presidential office compound. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul. |
Visits to Cheong Wa Dae require online reservations, and six time slots, each running for 90 minutes, are available six days a week between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The compound is closed on Tuesdays, and there is a daily cap of 49,000 visitors.
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| A panoramic shot of the former presidential office compound. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul. |
The CHA said Cheong Wa Dae averages 20,000 visitors per day on weekends and about 10,000 per weekday.
In July, the culture ministry announced plans to transform Cheong Wa Dae into a multipurpose cultural complex. (Yonhap)
