South Koreans flock to Blue House ahead of presidential return

Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the Blue House in northern Seoul on June 9, as it could be their last chance to visit the premise as a new president is poised to return to the former presidential office. - AFP

SEOUL: The queue stretches all the way down the road. Tens of thousands of people are flocking to South Korea's historic Blue House before the new president moves his office back in.

Ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol spurned the elegant compound in leafy northern Seoul claiming it was too "imperial". He opened it to the public in 2022, and moved into a hastily converted ministry instead.