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and was only partially reopened during daylight hours following the inauguration of Kim Yong-sam in 1993. (provided by Blue House)

Over the past hundred days, the Blue House has witnessed a number of scenes that were unfamiliar in their sheer ordinariness. The path along which advisors once scurried carrying documents to the presidential residence is now the path along which the president walks to work. After being briefed on the latest developments at the presidential residence around 7 am, Moon walks to his office at the Yeomingwan building between 8 am and 9 am, a distance of 0.6 km. The secretaries get to the office before 7, prior to Moon’s arrival, and take part in team meetings until 7:30 am.

President Moon Jae-in has a meeting with political party leaders from the National Assembly at a luncheon in Sangchunjae on July 19. (provided by Blue House)

At 8:10 am, the senior secretaries review current events in a meeting presided over by Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok. After that, Moon meets with his senior secretaries over tea at 9:10 am. During his first 100 days in office, Moon has reportedly received 267 official face-to-face briefings. He presides over meetings with his aides and senior secretaries twice a week, on Monday and Thursday. Early on, he told his staff not to bother writing down what he says. That makes quite a contrast with the previous administration, when the joke was that only those who were good at jotting down the president’s instructions could survive at the Blue House.

President Moon Jae-in with Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok

It’s also striking to see the president taking off and putting on his own jacket, mixing his own coffee and freely bantering with his advisors. A secretary who was appointed in June recalled feeling shocked upon first attending their meeting of aides and senior secretaries: “When the president came in, the senior secretaries who were already there drinking their coffee pointed to the refreshments and said, ‘the coffee is over there’ without batting an eyelash.”

the road in front of the Blue House is open 24 hours. The road had been closed following the North Korean assassination attempt of former President Park Chung-hee in 1968

The cobwebs have also been cleared out of Sangchunjae, a traditional Korean structure used as a reception hall for special guests. Former president Park Geun-hye didn’t use the building a single time during her presidency, except for when she held an informal press conference there on Jan. 1 to bemoan her predicament. But Moon has opened the hall to meetings with businesspeople and with the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, transforming it into a symbol of respectful treatment of partners in governance and an expression of his good faith.

The road surrounding the Blue House has also been opened to the public at all hours of day and night. The area near the fountain in front of the Blue House has become quite a fascinating spot, where foreign tourists visiting Bukchon or the Samcheong neighborhood can rub shoulders with a range of solo protesters shouting slogans about THAAD and other issues. Amid continuing alerts and warnings about the heat wave this summer, staff from the Blue House’s office of security have been handing out ice cream to solo protesters.

From June 26

Koreans have also been amazed to see the president spending quality time with his furry friends. When he doesn’t have any engagements on the weekend, Moon can be found in casual attire at the presidential residence, playing with his pet dogs Maru and Tori and keeping an eye on Jjingjjingi, an abandoned cat [that he adopted]. Jjingjjingi is the first cat to enter the Blue House as a pet. The three animals’ pet food, as well as Moon and his family’s living expenses, including consumable goods like groceries and toothpaste, are all paid for out of Moon’s presidential salary, instead of his “special activities” budget. “I can’t complain about the free rent, though,” Moon joked.

President Moon Jae-in poses for a photo with cadets from the naval academy during their summer swimming training. (provided by Blue House)

While Moon’s schedule is obviously not disclosed for security reasons, selfies that the president has taken with other people at public events and on vacation often get considerable exposure on social media. Moon’s hike on Odae Mountain on his vacation came to light when a picture taken during a random encounter with hikers was posted on social media.

There’s also a popular video shot by a tourist that shows the president waving down at passersby through his office window on the third floor of the Yeomingwan. There’s a continuing craze about buying any items associated with Moon. After Moon said he had read a book called “Deep Insight” over his vacation, sales of the book jumped 2000%, and there has been a spike in people enrolling in the website of the Korea Post to buy commemorative stamps of the president that were released this month. Opening the doors to communication seems to have made the new president’s “honeymoon period” last even longer.

By Jung Yu-gyung, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]