“Blue House Welcomes Over 3.38 Million Visitors as ‘K-Tourism Landmark’ Goal Advances”

On the 10th, it will be one year since the Blue House was opened to the public.

Although the cumulative number of visitors has exceeded 3.3 million, the task of revitalizing the space amid controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the opening is still a formidable task.

This is reporter Lee Gyo-jun’s report.

[기자]

Visitors line up in front of the Blue House on weekday mornings.

There are a lot of elderly people and young students who came from afar to tour in groups.

[허준형 / 서울 건대부중 1학년 : 너무 긴장된다. 진짜 이런 데를 들어간다니까 실감이 안 난다, 그런 느낌이 들었습니다.]

[박남기 / 성남시 분당구 수내동 : 누구나 궁금할 겁니다 국민들은…대통령님들 여기서 생활하신 곳이기 때문에 관람하러 왔습니다.]

These days, an average of 9,000 people a day visit, and as many as 15,000 people visit on holidays.

So far, the cumulative number of visitors has exceeded 3.38 million as of the end of last month.

Foreign tourists have increased significantly this year.

[트랜 덩 / 베트남 관광객 (24살) : 이곳이 아주 화려한 공간이라고 생각되고, 한국의 대통령들이 어떻게 일했는지, 그 내부를 볼 수 있어 꽤 흥미진진합니다.]

Due to the easing of entry restrictions on COVID-19, the number of foreign visitors has increased, with more than 10,000 visitors last month.

Thanks to foreigners and spring energy, the total number of visitors is showing a slight recovery, but the number of visitors last month was about 230,000, which is less than half of the opening immediately after opening.

The government plans to come up with specific action plans in the near future under the ambitious goal of making it a world-class tourist landmark, but the future challenges are daunting.

Whether the scent of past presidents remains, it is urgent to develop interesting content that will showcase the essence of K-culture while preserving the historical symbolism of space.

In addition, in order to develop various themed tour courses, it is necessary to carry out a precise index survey of the area where the artifacts were found, such as the outer wall of the Blue House.

Facilities and services for the convenience of visitors are also lacking.

There are no places to rest other than a few benches, and food and drink other than bottled water and coffee are not allowed on the grounds.

In the case of the guesthouse, access is restricted for state guest events five times a month.

One year since it changed from the center of power to a space for citizens,

Controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the opening of the Blue House is still ongoing. In the future, if the use of the Blue House by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism does not meet expectations, the controversy is likely to continue for the time being.

This is YTN Lee Gyo-jun.

Cinematographer: Lee Hyeon-oh
Graphics: Hwang Hyun-jung

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