Seoul's Jongno District will set curfews in some areas of Bukchon, a popular 'photo spot' for tourists, starting in March and will impose fines on tourists who violate the restrictions.
Jongno District announced on the 28th that it will officially implement the time restriction policy for visitors in the red zone of Bukchon Special Management Area. The special management area encompasses the entire Bukchon between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, from the north of Yulgok Road to the south of Samcheong Park. The red zone, covering an area of 34,000 square meters, is located in some sections of Samcheong-dong and Gahoe-dong, where traditional hanok houses are concentrated behind Jeongdok Public Library. Narrow sloped alleys separate the hanoks that face each other, and Namsan Tower can be seen in the distance, attracting both Korean and foreign tourists.
Tourists can visit the red zone only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outside of these hours, tourists entering for sightseeing purposes will face fines of 100,000 won. Fines will be imposed by the 'Bukchon security officer' (a civil servant responsible for enforcing the fines), who will inform tourists, both domestic and foreign, of the violation and related regulations. If they do not comply after a warning, fines will be imposed.
Residents living in the red zone according to their resident registration, family members, acquaintances, customers of businesses in the red zone, merchants, guests, passersby merely passing through the red zone without engaging in tourism activities, and vehicles not intended for tourism will not be subject to fines. However, even if they fall under the exemption criteria, if 'tourism activities' are verified, they will be subject to fines.
Tourism activities refer to all actions taken within the red zone for tourism purposes. This includes taking photos or videos, observing the surroundings while lingering, and wandering the streets for tourism purposes regardless of whether they utilize the shops.
This measure aims to alleviate resident inconveniences arising from overtourism in Bukchon and to establish a sustainable tourism culture. Jongno District tested the time restriction in a trial run for four months starting last November.
According to Jongno District, there are about 6,100 residents in Bukchon, while an estimated 6.64 million tourists, both domestic and foreign, visited Bukchon in 2023. Some tourists have been causing disturbances by speaking loudly in the narrow alleys between hanoks, opening gates, smoking, and littering. As a result, the population of Bukchon decreased by 27.6% from 2018 to 2023.
A Jongno District official noted, 'During the trial period for the visitor time restriction, residents expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you for giving us back our evenings, we have regained our precious daily lives, and Bukchon is transforming into a space where residents can live stably rather than just a tourist destination."'
However, some merchants in the red zone are concerned that a decrease in tourists will negatively impact their sales. Jongno District plans to consider measures after gathering opinions from stakeholders. Additionally, in response to the issue of illegally parked charter buses and traffic congestion caused by tourists in the Bukchon area, Jongno District will implement 'charter bus traffic restrictions' starting in January next year.
Jung Moon-hyun, the district chief, said, 'I hope that residents of Bukchon enjoy a more stable daily life and that most tourists passing through Jongno and Bukchon practice proper tourism culture within the set time frame.' He also noted, 'I am fully aware of the difficulties faced by local merchants and will consider additional alternatives to alleviate these issues.'