Cheong Wa Dae to Open to Public on Inauguration Day

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will start his term on May 10 in a nondescript government building in downtown Yongsan as he moves the presidential office out of the palatial Cheong Wa Dae.

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Han-hong, who heads the taskforce handling the relocation of the presidential office, told reporters on Monday that once the Defense Ministry, which currently occupies the building, moves after Korea-U.S. joint military exercises end, the second to fourth floors will be remodeled until mid-June.

Yoon will use the fifth floor temporarily and move once renovations are finished. The main presidential office will be on the second floor, while the sixth floor will house the offices of the presidential secretaries and the security team will be on the ninth floor.

The press room will be on the ground floor and the National Security Council in the basement.

Cheong Wa Dae and the hiking trail behind it will be opened punctually to the public on inauguration day. Up to 39,000 people a day will be allowed to visit the palatial old presidential office, or up to 6,500 visitors in two-hour cycles six times a day.

It will open to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Because of the expected crush, visitors have to be chosen by lottery starting Wednesday after sending in their applications.

The hiking trail leading to Mt. Bukak behind the palace will be open at the same time without limits.

Yoon said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that he is asking the public to come up with a new name for the presidential office and proposed "People's House" as an alternative.