Bukchon Hanok Village

Welcome to Bukchon, "the northern village". Set between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces, it was home to high officials and the nobility under the Joseon dynasty. Today it is Seoul's most famous cluster of hanok, traditional Korean houses.

1Old houses?

Almost all the houses you see are newer than they look. In the 1920s and 1930s the city was growing fast and the nobility's large estates were divided into plots. Korean developers such as Jeong Se-gwon built smaller hanok on them, adapted to urban life: tiled roofs and an inner courtyard, but also glass and new materials. Jeong presented his work as a way for Koreans to keep homes in the centre in the face of the expanding Japanese districts to the south.

2Protecting the neighbourhood

In the second half of the 20th century many houses were replaced by modern buildings. Since the 1980s Bukchon has had protection rules, and since 2001 there have been programmes to restore hanok. But success comes at a price: with millions of visitors a year, residents complained of noise and crowds.

Since 2025, tourist access to the busiest part of Bukchon has been limited to daytime. Check the current rules before you go and, above all, remember these are people's homes.

Walk quietly, don't step into courtyards or knock on doors, and take your photos from the street.

3What to look for

• The curved eaves and the decorated end tiles.
• The cascade of roofs running downhill, with modern downtown behind.
• The small plaques beside some doors, marking craft workshops.