From July 1, Jongno District will restrict the passage of charter buses on major roads within the Bukchon special management area. This is to establish a pedestrian-centered tourism order and protect residents' living zones.
According to Jongno District on the 27th, the areas where charter bus passage will be restricted include Bukchon-ro, Bukchon-ro 5-gil, Bukchon-ro 4-gil, and Changdeokgung 1-gil, covering about 2.3 km. This area has seen illegal parking of group tour charter buses, raising concerns about collisions with pedestrians. The passage restriction will apply on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.
Jongno District plans to impose fines on charter buses that do not comply with the passage restrictions. The fines will be 300,000 won for the first violation, 400,000 won for the second, and 500,000 won from the third onwards. The district plans to utilize a system based on closed-circuit television (CCTV) that can identify vehicles to impose fines.
The target of enforcement is the charter buses for transportation, specifically medium-sized vehicles or larger with a passenger capacity of 16 or more. Commuter buses, school buses, village buses, and vehicles for public institution events or public interest purposes can pass if they receive prior approval from the Jongno District tourism and sports division.
Jongno District has set the end of this year as a grace period, during which they will issue warning notices to charter buses that violate the passage restrictions. On-site guidance and promotion will also be conducted. Over a six-month trial run, the opinions of residents, merchants, and the tourism industry will be collected to finalize the scope of application and exception criteria by January of next year.
Jung Mun-hyun, the head of Jongno District, said, "This measure is aimed at transforming Bukchon into an alley that people want to walk through" and added, "We will realize a sustainable model where the lives of residents and tourism coexist harmoniously."
Earlier, Jongno District designated Bukchon as a special management area on July 1 last year, and from November of the same year allowed the entry of outsiders into the area known as the "Red Zone" (an area of 34,000 square meters around Bukchon-ro 11-gil) only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If outsiders enter the Red Zone for tourism purposes outside the permitted hours, a fine of 100,000 won will be imposed. A Jongno District official noted, "Tourists have voluntarily adhered to the visiting hours, and there have been no cases of fines imposed so far."