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| Blue House | |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 청와대 |
| Hanja | 靑瓦臺 |
| Revised Romanization | Cheong(-)wadae |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ŏng'wadae |
The Blue House or Cheong Wa Dae (Although the official rominized spelling is Cheongwadae, it is commonly syllabicated by convention.[1][2][3]) is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea. The Korean name has the literal meaning the "pavilions of the blue roof tiles." The Blue House is in fact a complex of buildings, built largely in the traditional Korean style with some modern elements.
Built upon the site of the royal garden of Joseon Dynasty, the Blue House now consists of the Main Office Hall(본관), the Presidential Residence, the State Reception House (영빈관), the Chunchugwan (춘추관) Press Hall, and the Secretariat Buildings. The entire complex covers approximately 250,000 m². (About 62 acres)
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History
The location of Cheongwadae was the site of a royal villa in what was then Hanyang, the southern capital of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392). It was built by King Sukjong (r. 1095–1105) in 1104. Goryeo's principal capital was at Kaesŏng, and it also maintained a western capital at Pyongyang and an eastern capital at Gyeongju.
After the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) moved its capital to Hanyang, Gyeongbok Palace was built in 1395, the fourth year of the reign of King Taejo (r. 1392–1398) as the main palace, and the royal villa lot became the back garden of the palace. It was used as the site for civil service examinations and military training.
Following Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910, the Governor-General of Korea used the Gyeongbokgung grounds for the government-general building. In 1939, Japan built an official residence/office for the governor-general on the site of Cheongwadae.
With the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, President Syngman Rhee called the building "Gyeongmudae" (경무대, 景武臺), which was the name of one of the few old buildings there. He used it as his office and residence. President Yun Bo-seon changed the name to "Cheongwadae" after he was inaugurated in 1960.
In 1968 North Korean infiltrators nearly reached the building. In the ensuing melee, 28 North Koreans, 68 South Koreans and three Americans died.
Presidents Park Chung-hee, Choi Kyu-ha and Chun Doo-hwan used it both as their office and official residence. While President Roh Tae-woo was in office, a new office building, official residence, and press center, called Chunchugwan, were built. The main office building was opened in April 1991.
In 1993, after President Kim Young-sam's civilian administration was launched, the Japanese governor-general's residence in the Cheongwadae compound was dismantled to remove a major symbol of the Japanese colonial occupation.
Setting
_garden_0681%262%263-07.jpg)
Geomancers have long considered the area in which Cheongwadae is located as an auspicious location. This view was backed up by an inscription on a stone wall that reads: "The Most Blessed Place on Earth," found behind the official presidential residence during the construction of a new building in 1990.
To the north of Cheongwadae is the mountain Bukhansan, flanked by two mountains, Naksan, symbolizing the Azure Dragon, on the left and Inwangsan, symbolizing the White Tiger, on the right. To the south is Namsan, the protective mountain of the capital. In front flow the Cheonggyecheon stream and Han River.
_Reception_Center_0690-07.JPG) One of the buildings at the Cheongwadae Reception Center |
 Near the entrance to the Blue House grounds |
 Monument on road in front of the Blue House, administrative building in background |
 Blue House in front of Bukhansan |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blue House |
In culture
- It has been one of the settings for the Korean drama Jinjja Jinjja Joh-ahae.
See also
- Korean architecture
- History of South Korea
- History of Korea
- List of Korea-related topics
- National Assembly Building
References
- ^ Rominization by the official website: english.president.go.kr
- ^ "Cheong Wa Dae rules out renegotiation of FTA with US" (in English). Seoul: Yonhap News Agency. 20 November, 2009. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2009/11/20/42/0301000000AEN20091120003400320F.HTML. Retrieved 12 Dec., 2009.
- ^ "Cheong Wa Dae Aims to End Graft in Defense Procurement" (in English). Chosun Ilbo (Seoul). 09 December, 2009. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/12/09/2009120900527.html. Retrieved 12 Dec., 2009.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cheongwadae |
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Coordinates: 37°35′12″N 126°58′30″E / 37.58667°N 126.975°E
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