Bukchon Hanok Village, Struggling with Tourist Overload, Decides to Ban Entry After 5 PM

Pilot Policy Operation from the 1st
Full-scale Enforcement Starting March Next Year

Jongno-gu in Seoul has begun a pilot operation of a tourist visit time restriction policy from the 1st to protect the residential rights of Bukchon residents and establish a proper tourism culture.

Tourists visiting Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno-gu, Seoul are having a joyful time. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

From now on, tourist access will be restricted in the Red Zone within the Bukchon Special Management Area from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next day. Residents, their acquaintances and relatives, merchants, lodging guests, and store customers are allowed access.

In July, Jongno-gu designated the areas of Sogyeok-dong, Hwa-dong, Anguk-dong, Samcheong-dong, Gahoe-dong, Gyedong, and Wonseo-dong, located between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, as the Bukchon Special Management Area. Among these, the Red Zone is the area behind Jeongdok Library, including parts of Samcheong-dong and Gahoe-dong, which is a residential area densely populated with hanok houses and attracts the most tourists.

To minimize confusion during the initial implementation, Jongno-gu plans to deploy management personnel to strengthen on-site guidance and promotion, allowing a sufficient adjustment period until February 28 next year to improve the policy. Full enforcement is scheduled to begin on March 1 next year. Tourists entering the Red Zone during restricted hours will be fined 100,000 KRW. The goal is to protect residents' living environments during morning and evening hours by imposing fines and encouraging tourists to voluntarily comply with basic rules.

Photo by Jongno-gu

From January 2026, restrictions on charter bus (tour bus) traffic will also be implemented. The target area is Bukchon-ro, a 2.3 km section from Bukchon-ro 5-gil to Changdeokgung 1-gil, where illegal bus parking is frequent. Commuter buses, school buses, and village buses will be allowed to pass. With the charter bus traffic restriction, buses will park on the outskirts of the village, promoting a pedestrian-centered tourism culture where tourists move on foot.

There are about 6,100 residents in Bukchon, but last year, the number of visitors to Bukchon reached 6.64 million. Due to overtourism damage, a significant number of residents have moved out of Bukchon. The population of Bukchon has decreased by 27.6% over the five years from 2018 to last year.