The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on June 19 said that as of the previous day, 101,017 people visited the display at the main building of Cheong Wa Dae.
The number of daily visitors on weekends was around 8,000 with people waiting in a line 200-300 m long outside, the ministry added.
Marking the first anniversary of Cheong Wa Dae's opening, the ministry-organized event displays the residence of presidents and belongings they used while living and working there.
The visitors last weekend included Kim Hong-eop, son of former President Kim Dae-jung and now chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, and Shin Chul-seak, former head of the Memorial Association for Founding President Syngman Rhee. They also expressed admiration for the event, saying the exhibition raised interest among the younger generation who might feel unfamiliar with former heads of state and made the latter more accessible.
Chairman Kim, who visited the exhibition on June 17, shared stories about his father and anecdotes related to photos on display with other visitors.
Shin visited the venue a day later to tell stories of President Rhee, saying, "I find the exhibition very meaningful for allowing all citizens to learn more about former presidents who made today's Republic of Korea, which now ranks as of the world's six most powerful countries."
Visitors also gave favorable responses of the exhibition. A 20-something American tourist was quoted as saying by the ministry that he compared the White House, which he visited, with Cheong Wa Dae while seeing the exhibition, adding that learning about the compound's architectural design and watching a series of dramas on former presidents as one episode were both interesting.
In addition, the Folk Music Group of the National Gugak Center since June 8 has presented lively performances every Thursday to Saturday of gilnori (a traditional parade featuring a mask dance drama), pangut (folk music performance) and jultagi (tightrope walking) at the wide-open garden Daejeongwon.
To run through Aug. 28, the exhibition will have sideline displays, one on the restoration of the main building's interior and another at Chunchugwan, the compound's former media center, of kitchenware and furniture used at Cheong Wa Dae.
With more visitors flocking to the exhibition and waiting in long lines amid the hot summer weather, the ministry said every effort is going toward preventing safety incidents due to the heat wave through the installation of facilities for shade and use of "cooling fog" and paper caps.
