Visitors rush to see South Korea's Blue House before presidential return

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have thronged the Blue House in central Seoul in recent months to get their last glimpse of the historic compound before it is returned to official use as the home and office of the country’s president.

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Lee Jae Myung, who won a snap election on June 3, plans to move into the Blue House soon and access to some buildings will be restricted from mid-July, the presidential office announced last week.

Former leader Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office in April after briefly declaring martial law, broke with decades of tradition by shifting his office and residence out of the compound and opening it to the public.

"I heard this place will likely be closed soon. So I wanted to come at least once before that happened," said An Hyun, 62, an office worker from Wonju in northeastern Gangwon Province who was visiting the Blue House this week.