On the 29th, when President Lee Jae-myung returned to the Blue House, non-regular workers at the Blue House performed a "three steps, one bow" protest in downtown Seoul demanding job security.
The Blue House chapter of the Seoul Regional Public Service Branch of the Public Transport Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a press conference at 10 a.m. on the 29th at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and said, "The phoenix flag is flying at the Blue House and President Lee Jae-myung has begun working at the Blue House, but measures to guarantee employment for the non-regular workers who handled visitor guidance and facility operations during the Blue House opening period are still nowhere to be seen."
After the press conference, starting around 10:20 a.m., 10 people dressed in white set out from Gwanghwamun Square to the Blue House to perform three steps, one bow.
They are non-regular employees who handled cleaning, landscaping, security, and guidance at the Blue House. When the Yoon Suk-yeol administration opened the Blue House to the public, they signed one-year contracts, but with the Lee Jae-myung administration's return to the Blue House, their contracts are set to expire on the 31st.
As of this year, workers hired indirectly by the Blue House Foundation are as follows: ▲ 36 in cleaning ▲ 31 in facilities ▲ 60 in security ▲ 64 in guidance ▲ 13 in landscaping ▲ 13 in call center ▲ 8 in public relations.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said, "If the Blue House opening project resumes, we demanded the hiring of the existing Blue House workers with extensive experience and know-how, and if it is not feasible to hire the existing workers for the opening project, then to employ them at government agencies in line with the policy of converting non-regular workers at public institutions to regular positions," adding, "However, to date, the presidential office (Blue House) has maintained a stance of having no measures."
It added, "If we are dismissed at the end of this year, in 2026 we plan to visit the Hannam-dong residence and the Blue House to meet President Lee Jae-myung."