Authorities Step In To Prevent Overtourism In Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village

In the last couple of years, many popular tourist destinations suffer from overtourism, including Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea. In an effort to solve the problem, local government is taking a stance to handle the situation.

Overtourism in Seoul neighborhood Bukchon Hanok Village

Bukchon Hanok village is known for its picturesque, well-preserved traditional Korean Houses, known as “hanok.” Meanwhile, it is one of the most popular attractions in the city of Seoul in South Korea. Due to this, the village is often flooded with thousands of tourists, causing problems and tensions for the residents.

The village is located in the Jongno district of downtown Seoul and is located close to cultural landmarks, including the Jongmyo royal ancestral shrine and the iconic Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palaces.

Its popularity has grown so much that tourists often outnumber residents, leading to complaints about littering, noise and privacy issues in the village. People visit the village to take photos and selfies to post on their Instagram pages.

Seoul authorities take action on overtourism

In an effort to control the crowds and ease tensions with the locals, district officials are to start restricting tourist access to the village from as early as October this year. Moreover, Bukchon Hanok Village will be designated South Korea’s first-ever “special management area” under the country’s Tourism Promotion Act.

The plan is to set strict curfews for tourists, which will be reinforced each day between 5 pm and 10 am. Officials said th aim is to reduce traffic and make the village “foot-centered” and to that end, chartered buses bringing in tourists will be restricted in certain areas.

Officials are setting three color-coded zones – red, orange and yellow – which will be designated to allow local authorities to control and monitor tourist crowds in the most densely populated areas. Meanwhile, officials said fines will also be imposed on people violating the rules.

About Bukchon Hanok Village

Bukchon Hanok Village originally served as residential quarters for high-ranking authorities and nobility in the era of the Joseon kings who ruled the country from the 1300s until 1910. These days, the area hosts around 6,000 residents and features businesses like inns, cafés and craft stores and several popular photo spots.

However, despite the actions of the authorities, some locals have dismissed the new measures as being “empty talk.”

Cafe owner Lee Youn-hee told CNN that visitors normally leave the village after sunset anyway as they mostly visit to take photos, saying:

In the winter, visitors are gone by 5 pm and during summer maybe by 6 pm because the days are longer. This won’t make a big difference.

According to government data, it is estimated that around 6.6 million domestic and international tourists visited Bukchon Hanok in 2023.

Sindere Schoultz, a Swedish tourist, told CNN:

I think it’s important that tourists be respectful to those living here. We want to come here and have a good time but we don’t want to step on somebody’s toes and be disrespectful.

Moreover, another Swedish tourist, Emma Hägg, understands the reasons behind the ban. “I don’t mind it,” she said. “I completely understand why and it’s good that they still want us.”