South Korea's President Begins Move Back To Historic Blue House

Seoul, South Korea: South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung and his team have started moving back into Seoul's historic Blue House, which his predecessor abandoned for being too "imperial", an official said Tuesday.

The Blue House, known as Cheong Wa Dae in Korean, is named for the approximately 150,000 hand-painted blue tiles that adorn its roof and has long been synonymous with the South Korean presidency.

Once occupied by representatives of former colonial power Japan, the site housed South Korea's leaders for seven decades.

Lee had vowed to move both the presidential office and residence back to the Blue House if elected.

That process began on Monday and will be wrapped up by Christmas, his office told AFP.

But the president's official move into his new residence will take a little longer due to security concerns, local media has reported.

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