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| yna@yna.co.kr 2022-07-18 15:13:48
SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- Two months have passed since the symbolic space of the Korean history, Cheong Wa Dae returned to the people's arms, and yet the footsteps of the visitors have not stopped.
However, there are many concerns that excessive enthusiasm for spectators may lead to the damage of the historical space, as there is no "blueprint" on how Cheong Wa Dae must be utilized.
According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday, more than 1.25 million visitors visited Cheong Wa Dae from May 10 till July 13.
Thus, about 19,000 people visited Cheong Wa Dae per day on average to see the offices and residences of past presidents.
Although the interest is so high that visitors from all over the country come to see it, the current Cheong Wa Dae tour is limited to the main building, Yeongbingwan (state guest house), the official residence, and Sangchunjae (first traditional hanok built in Cheong Wa Dae), as well as the green space within the precincts.
This is because there is no policy or direction on the utilization of the Cheong Wa Dae space.
Currently, the Cheong Wa Dae area is being managed temporarily by the Cultural Heritage Administration after being delegated by the Presidential Office, but only some parts like the management of old trees, and the trees planted by the presidents have been presented for future plans.
It has also not been decided whether Cheong Wa Dae will be designated as a "historic site" or a "Modern History and Culture Space." In fact, investigation or research on each facility of the surrounding area has not been conducted properly.
There are many voices concerned about damaging the facilities as visitors has been constantly visiting when the preparations are not sufficient.
On Saturday, visitors were seen breaking the rules in the Cheong Wa Dae area.
According to the "Rules for visiting Cheong Wa Dae," which was released in June, fruits including chamoe (Korean melon) were banned, but visitors were seen eating fruits like watermelons on the bench throwing seeds, and people stopping these acts were barely seen.
Some people also ignored the sign boards and stepped on the grass to take pictures or tossed coins into the pond.
People inside and outside the academia pointed out that Cheong Wa Dae, a backyard of the Gyeongbokgung Palace during the Joseon Dynasty, and a political space used by the most powerful people of the country in the modern times, should not be used as a place for simple entertainment like "Changgyeongwon," an entertainment facility built during the Japanese colonial period.
There are some arguing that the preparation of the utilization plan lacked due to the differences of opinions within the government.
As much as there have been many different opinions among the two related organizations, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cultural Heritage Administration, it has been difficult to settle on the utilization of Cheong Wa Dae, and even who will be in charge of Cheong Wa Dae.
At a meeting with reporters on July 4, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo-gyun announced that Cheong Wa Dae would be reborn as a "complex space" in which culture, artistry, symbolism, and nature collaborate attractively.
"We are closely working with related organizations and private experts including the Presidential office and the Cultural Heritage Administration," announced Minister Park. However, on the same day, the Cultural Heritage Administration that decided to have a press conference regarding Cheong Wa Dae was postponed.
According to the information previously announced by the Cultural Heritage Administration, this document was to contain future plans including strengthening the permanent management of Cheong Wa Dae's cultural and natural heritage, basic research, and full-scale promotion of designation and registration of cultural assets.
Since then, there is an opinion that the public survey released by the Cultural Heritage Administration shows a subtle difference in position with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
According to the data released by the Blue House Public Relations Team of the Cultural Heritage Administration on July 13, as a result of a survey of 1,000 visitors to Cheong Wa Dae, 40.9% of the respondents (multiple responses) answered that "the original form should be preserved as it is today, where the life and history of the president are alive."
Only 15.2% answered that a new "culture and art space" such as a museum or exhibition hall should be created.
"When using the world 'culture,' the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism focuses on utilization while the Cultural Heritage Administration focuses on cultural heritage and preservation. I'm afraid that these conflicts could lead to rash decisions since the historical value of Cheong Wa Dae hasn't been surely defined," an academic official said.
Experts advised that it is now necessary to draw a sketch for the future, as it has achieved a symbolic result of "opening Cheong Wa Dae" with the launch of the new government.
"Not only is Cheong Wa Dae the backyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace, but it is also an important space in the modern and contemporary history of Korea."
"The symbolism of opening Cheong Wa Dae was great, but I think it is time to think about other aspects. It's time to think about what Cheong Wa Dae should be to people," said Ahn Chang-mo, an architectural historian and professor at Kyonggi University.
They also thought that they needed to put a pause on the current way of viewing.
Currently, Cheong Wa Dae is accepting viewing through online advance registration, with a maximum of 49,000 people per day. On weekends, it is known that the waiting time to see major facilities including the main building can go up to an hour or more due to the crowd.
"There have been almost no research done on Cheong wa Dae," Professor Kim Jong-heon said. "It's time to limit the number of visitors or ban the visitors at all for the future use and management of Cheong Wa Dae."
"If there is an explosive crowd of visitors like it is now, the possibility of damaging the place before the investigation even begins becomes high. It's a very dangerous situation," he continued.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Haemin Kim.)
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