Cheongwadae

The Blue House is Korea’s answer to America’s White House. Back in 1968 a squad of 31 North Korean commandos was caught just 500m from the Blue House on a mission to assassinate President Park Chung-hee. The threat from the North has diminished but security remains tight. To see Cheongwadae, visitors must join a free 80-minute tour, which does not venture inside any important buildings – it only visits the palatial grounds and Chilgung, small locked shrines that contain the spirit tablets of seven royal concubines whose sons became kings during the Joseon dynasty. Tours (Korean language only, passports required) run from Tuesday to Saturday at 10am, 11am, 2pm and 3pm. You must pre-book online and pick up the tickets at the ticket booth (9am-3pm tour days) in Gyeongbokgung. A tour bus takes you the short distance from the car park to Cheongwadae.