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Presidential compound re-opening grounds to foreign tourists
SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday it will resume tours of its grounds for foreign nationals next week, nearly a half year after they were suspended due to concerns about Influenza A.
"Tours suspended for the last six months will resume on Thursday," a Cheong Wa Dae official said, adding that foreign tourists under age 18 have been allowed into the presidential compound since mid-January. The office began receiving tour applications from all foreign tourists on Monday.
Cheong Wa Dae, located just north of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, is the official residence and working office of South Korea's president.
The resumption of tours there follows the downgrading of the country's flu alert level by one notch to "yellow" early this week as the spread of the influenza showed signs of subsiding.
"Yellow" is the second-lowest alert in the nation's four-level monitoring system to cope with health hazards.
The official, however, said that foreigners will be asked not to take part in tours if they show signs of a high fever, coughing or runny nose. Tourists will also be asked to use hand sanitizer before entering the grounds.
On a related note, the official said a military honor guard performance will be held every Saturday morning in front of the fountain outside Cheong Wa Dae starting in April.
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