Bukchon Hanok Village is a Korean traditional village in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

with a long history located on the top of a hill between

Gyeongbok Palace Gyeongbokgung (), also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea. The largest of the '' Five Grand Palaces'' built by the Joseo ...

Changdeok Palace Changdeokgung (Hangul: 창덕궁, Hanja: 昌德宮; literally, "The Palace of Prospering Virtue"), also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace, is set within a large park in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the " Five ...

and Jongmyo Royal Shrine. The traditional village is composed of many alleys,

hanok A ''hanok'' () is a traditional Korean house. ''Hanok'' were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty. Korean architecture considers the positioning of the house in relation to its surroundings, with thought g ...

and is preserved to show a 600-year-old urban environment.

History

The area of ''Bukchon'', which consists of neighborhoods: Wonseo-dong, Jae-dong, Gye-dong, Gahoe-dong and

Insa-dong Insa-dong is a ''dong'', or neighborhood in the Jongno-gu district of Seoul. The main street is Insadong-gil, which is connected to a multitude of alleys that lead deeper into the district,David Armstrong (June 3, 2007)''SEOUL lives life on the e ...

, was traditionally the residential quarter of high-ranking government officials and nobility during the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

. It is located north of

Cheonggye Stream Cheonggyecheon (Hangul: 청계천, ) is a modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. The massive urban renewal project is on the site of a stream that flowed before the rapid post-war economic development caused it to be co ...

and

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a p ...

, hence named ''Bukchon'', which means ''north village''

Tourism

A poll of nearly 2,000 foreign visitors, conducted by the

Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government d ...

in November 2011, stated that exploring the narrow streets of Bukchon was their fourth favorite activity in Seoul. According to data by the Bukchon Traditional Culture Center, 30,000 people visited the area in 2007. However, after the village was featured in television programmes, such as '' 1 Night 2 Days'' and '' Personal Taste'', the number rose to 318,000 in 2010. In 2012 the figure is expected to double to more than 600,000. A large beautiful hanok has open to the public in 2015, as part of the

Seoul Museum of History Seoul Museum of History is a history museum located in Sinmunno 1 ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Seoul was the capital of the Joseon Dynasty, and the Museum depicts the evolution from its prehistoric period to the city it is today. It illu ...

. It is located in an alley, just on the foot of the hill. Entrance is free, the visit allows to see those traditional housing in 15–20 minutes. If you want to get to Bukchon Hanok Village it is close to Samcheongdong street and located between the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace. You can get to the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul by taking the subway to the Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3). Take exit 3 and head to your right. After about 200 meters you will see large information signs that begin the Bukchon Village Walking Tour. In this Hanok Village there is a free walking tour is about 2–3 hours long taking you to multiple destinations will you collect stamps from each of them and at the end you can get a keychain at the end. The village is the home to Bukchon Traditional Culture Center, Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, Donglim Knot Museum, Gahoe Museum, Han Sangsu Embroidery Museum, Bukchon Asian Art Museum, and Owl Museum. Sll place to you should make sure to visit on your trip to Korea. In Bukchon that has over 600 years of history surrounding it many of these hanoks operate as cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants, and tea houses, providing visitors with an opportunity to experience, learn and immerse themselves in traditional Korean culture. They have very picturesque locations and beautiful architecture that you no longer seen in modern-day society. Overall the villages are amazing locations that everyone should see and enjoy. Many tourists come here for photo opportunities and to immerse themselves in the history that is now surrounded by the modern Korea. You can make a guided tour reservation to help you go around the trail. There are tons if things to do while you are there. Recently in 2018 because of so many tourists visiting the area they have changed the hours of when people may visit from 9-5 Monday-Saturday and Sundays is now closed off to nonresidents. Currently there is an issue with tourists making trouble for the residents that live there; one resident even being yelled at for driving their car on its narrow roads. Residents who live there are not very happy that their resident environment is being taken over by an overwhelming number of tourists taking photos all the time. This village averages about 10,000 visitors a day. Because of the tourists the number of residents fell from over 9000 to 7530; they say the tourists are driving the residents out of the neighborhood. Some tourists compare Bukchon Hanok Village to a typical town in Switzerland, or

Gatlinburg, Tennessee Gatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located southeast of Knoxville and had a population of 3,944 at the 2010 Census and a U.S. Census population of 3,577 in 2020. It is a popular vacation res ...

, or

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The c ...

in the United States.

Gallery

File:Bukchon-ro 12-gil.jpg, Bukchon Hanok village and modern building in the background File:Korea-Seoul-Bukchon-01.jpg File:Area east of Bukchon Hanok Village A.JPG File:Korea-Seoul-Bukchon-05.jpg File:Korea-Seoul-Bukchon-19.jpg File:Korea-Seoul-Bukchon-12.jpg File:Korea-Seoul-Bukchon-23.jpg File:Bukchon Hanok Village.jpg File:Bukchon Hanok Village 2.jpg, A traditional house in the village

Media

* KBS《Documentary 3 days - Morning at Bukchon》(June 27, 2009) * KBS《 1 Night 2 Days( ko, 1박 2일) - Seoul special》 (September 26, 2010)

References

* * * * * * *

External links

Bukchon Hanok Village - Seoul's official site

Bukchon
(

Jongno-gu file:Korea-Seoul-Bosingak-05.jpg, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is a district () in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Road". Characteristics Jongno District has been th ...