Jogyesa Temple

Jogyesa Temple is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The temple was first established in 1395, during the Joseon Dynasty. However, the current temple as it is now was built in 1910. So, in 2010 the temple celebrated it’s 100 year anniversary. If you study the history of Buddhism in the Joseon Dynasty, Joseon began suppressing Buddhism because it made Confucianism its ruling ideology. So, the Joseon government didn’t allow monks to enter the city of Seoul. So today, most of the temples are located in the countryside or mountains, and there are only a few temples in Seoul. And Jogyesa Temple is one of them.

The Blue House

'Cheong' means blue and 'Wa' means roof tile. So, 'Cheongwadae' is blue house in english. 'Cheongwadae' was main office of president. The current president of Korea has moved the main office of president to Yongsan, so blue house is no longer the main office of president.