Bukchon Hanok Village limits tourist access amid resident complaints

[Anchor]

As the number of tourists visiting Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul increases, many residents are expressing their difficulties due to noise and illegal parking.

Ultimately, Jongno District Office has decided to restrict visitor access during nighttime hours, but there are mixed reactions.

Reporter Park Min-kyung has covered the scene.

[Report]

This is Seoul's Bukchon Hanok Village, with its long rows of tiled roofs.

Although it is a residential area, it is estimated that millions of tourists visit each year.

As 5 PM approaches, guides holding signs appear.

["Please go out please."]

["Visitor hours are until 5 PM, so you need to leave now."]

In less than 10 minutes, the alley is empty.

In the 'Red Zone', where hanoks are densely packed, access for tourists will be restricted from 5 PM to 10 AM the next day.

Starting in March next year, a fine of 100,000 won will be imposed, and from January 2026, access for charter buses will also be restricted.

Residents who have suffered from tourist noise and illegal parking are welcoming this change.

[Bae Myung-sook/Bukchon Hanok Village Resident: "Tourist buses keep coming in. Then they get stuck right there. It feels like a war zone with so many people."]

Tourists, however, express disappointment.

[Park Chae-eun/Tourist: "I won't be able to stay long, which is a bit disappointing, but since I'm a resident, I can understand."]

Merchants, whose sales have decreased, are strongly opposing this decision.

[Merchant: "They don't feel gratitude to the people who come all the way here and kick them out. This is beyond arrogance; it seems like they are out of their minds..."]

The Jongno District Office states that they had no choice due to the significant increase in residents leaving Bukchon because of the inconveniences caused by tourists.

[Kim Soo-jung/Jongno District Office Tourism Policy Team Leader: "We believe that the form of the village that people want to see can only be maintained if the residents live here."]

However, Jongno District has stated that they will continue to seek better coexistence methods by gathering more opinions from merchants.

This is KBS News, Park Min-kyung.