hankyoreh

A large South Korean flag can be seen sprawled on a hillside leading up to former President Park Geun-hye’s home in Daegu’s Dalseong County on Tuesday. (Kim Gyu-hyun/The Hankyoreh)

Around 11 am on Tuesday, handfuls of people had come to take photos in front of the residence of Park Geun-hye, the former South Korean president. A huge Korean flag — 7 meters tall and 10 meters wide — flapped on a hill beside the house, located on the outskirts of Daegu’s Dalseong County.

By lunchtime, over 50 visitors had gathered at the site, including a 69-year-old surnamed Park from Daegu’s Dalseo District, who had come with four friends.

“We wanted to see [the house] while things were still quiet. Once [former president Park] moves in, the security will be too tight to visit,” explained Park, who is unrelated.

“She committed crimes because she trusted the wrong people while she was president. But I’m glad she’s coming back home, and I was also curious [about the house].”

A 57-year-old surnamed Kim was visiting from northern Daegu.

“I came to see [the house] because she’s our beloved president. The house is in a good location with lots of sunlight, but I’m worried that anyone who climbs the hill behind the house will be able to see everything [inside],” Kim said.

Others were there to livestream the situation on the ground.

A sign on the wall around former President Park Geun-hye’s home in Daegu displays a sign reading, “Don’t climb.” (Kim Gyu-hyun/The Hankyoreh)

A warning sign on the wall that surrounds Park Geun-hye’s house reads, “No climbing.”

The former president, who is currently being treated at Samsung Medical Center for medical conditions including shoulder ailments and herniated discs, has decided to return to her political home of Daegu after being released from the hospital, prompting Korean conservatives to make a pilgrimage to the house that awaits her.

While welcoming banners that had been hung up at the entrance to the village have been taken down, the entrance to the home is lined by floral bouquets that say, “We love you, Madam President” and “We sincerely welcome your return.”

Some visitors stood on tiptoe on the wall with the “No climbing” sign, hoping to get a peek of what’s inside. There had initially been a guardrail at the bottom of the wall, but county workers recently removed it after visitors climbed on top to look inside the grounds.

Dalseong County and the local police department said there are around 1,000 daily visitors on weekdays and around 2,000 on weekends. The police have put six officers on the beat to maintain order and direct traffic. In a bid to ease congestion and stop unauthorized parking, the county also set up a temporary parking lot with a capacity of 120 vehicles about a 10-minute walk away.

Park Geun-hye supporters can be seen wandering around the perimeter of her home taking pictures. (Kim Gyu-hyun/The Hankyoreh)

With two stories above ground and one below, the house has a total floor space of 712.61 square meters on a 1,672.2 square-meter lot. Work is currently underway on the house’s interior.

Park paid 2.5 billion won for the house, which had been officially valued at 1.37 billion won. She was issued the title for the house on Feb. 17, but hasn’t decided when she’ll move in.

“[Park’s] recovery has been slow, so it’s likely she’ll be released from the hospital after the presidential election,” said Cho Won-jin, presidential candidate for Our Republican Party, during a visit on Saturday.

“I’m glad that Park Geun-hye is actually going to be moving to our village, but it’s a little distracting and annoying to have crowds of people here every day,” said one 70-year-old resident of the neighborhood.

By Kim Gyu-hyun, staff reporter

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