Famous for its picturesque and preserved traditional hanok houses in Korea, Bukchon Hanok Village is one of Seoul's most popular tourist attractions – attracting thousands of visitors every day.
However, the number of tourists is too large, far exceeding the local population, leading to the number of complaints continuously increasing over the years. Residents complain about noise from tourists, littering and various privacy issues in the neighborhood.
To ease tensions and control crowds, local officials will begin restricting tourists to the famous village as early as October this year. It will be designated as the country's first "special management area" under Korea's Tourism Promotion Act.
The strict curfew for local non-residents will be enhanced daily, from 5pm to 10am the following morning. Charter buses carrying tourists will be limited in some areas. The purpose of this is to reduce vehicle traffic and turn Bukchon into a “walking street,” officials said.
Three color-coded zones - red, orange and yellow - will also be designated to allow local authorities to control and monitor crowds in the most populated areas. Officials said violators will also be fined.
After receiving complaints from residents, signs in four languages telling tourists about noise levels were installed in 2018.
However, some people living and working in the area do not trust the effectiveness of these new measures. Coffee shop owner Lee Youn Hee told CNN that tourists often leave after sunset because they mainly come here to take photos.
“In winter, tourists will leave at 5pm and in summer it might be 6pm because the days are longer. This will not make a big difference,” Lee said.
In fact, in 2018, the Seoul government announced restrictions on tourists visiting Bukchon Hanok village after people protested "disrespectful and overcrowded" tourism activities.
At that time, the local government also planned to issue regulations limiting visiting hours. Visitors can only enter the ancient village from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The village is closed to tourism on Sundays.
Located in Jongno district in the city center, the village is close to other cultural destinations such as Jongmyo royal temple, Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung grand palaces. This area used to be the residence of high-ranking officials and nobility during the era of the Joseon kings (1300 - 1910).
Today, the area is home to about 6,000 residents as well as businesses such as boarding houses, arts and crafts shops and cafes - with several outstanding photography locations.
