Bukchon Hanok Village to restrict tourists with curfew and bus cutbacks
Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul is introducing a curfew for visitors starting next March.
The historic area with traditional Korean houses known as “hanoks” has been dealing with too many tourists.
The local government has designated the village’s 279 acres, including parts of Samcheong-dong and Gahoe-dong neighborhoods, as a specially controlled tourist zone.
They plan to manage visitor numbers using a color-coded zone system.
The area around Bukchon-ro 11-gil, where most hanoks are located, will be closed to visitors from 5 pm to 10 am daily.
It is the red zone that attracts the most tourists.
Anyone breaking the rules will be fined around 100,000 won ($72).
Bukchon-ro 5ga-gil and a part of Gyedong-gil, where restaurants, cafes, and some homes are, are orange zones with no curfew but staff will monitor activity.
