Bukchon hanok village : Introducing Why the Hanok Neighborhood Was Established

Bukchon Hanok Village: I will make a post introducing why the hanok neighborhood was established. North Village is the name of the village, and hanok means traditional Korean house. The concentration of traditional Korean houses in North Village makes it a popular tourist destination.

The photo above shows Bukchon hanok village.

The hanoks currently in Bukchon Hanok Village are not traditional hanoks, but rather modernized versions. During the Joseon Dynasty, the ruling class, known as the yangban, lived in hanoks. Therefore, traditional hanoks were originally large. Commoners lived in thatched houses with straw roofs and mud walls. However, the hanoks currently in Bukchon Hanok Village are all small. They were built for the common people, not the ruling class.

Korea was under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945. During this time, Japanese people also lived in Seoul, and houses in Seoul gradually became built in a Japanese style. So, a wealthy Korean independence activist named Jeong Se-kwon purchased a large tract of land on the border of a neighborhood that was becoming increasingly Japanese. He then divided the land into smaller parcels and built a large number of small hanok (traditional Korean houses) as breakwaters to prevent the construction of Japanese-style houses. This plan was so successful that Japanese-style houses were no longer built in Seoul. This is the background to the current hanok neighborhood in Bukchon Hanok Village.

Below is the official website for Bukchon Hanok Village. It's available in English, so it's helpful to visit before your visit.

https://hanok.seoul.go.kr/front/eng/index.do

Bukchon Hanok Village isn't just a tourist attraction; it's a residential area where people actually live. Therefore, any unruly behavior on the part of tourists is frowned upon by the local residents. Bukchon Hanok Village is open for tours from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Failure to observe this rule could result in a fine of 100,000 won.

The website mentioned above offers tours of Bukchon Hanok Village and offers accommodations for overnight stays in Hanok. Those interested are encouraged to explore the site.

The above post introduces why the Bukchon Village Hanok neighborhood was established. I hope you enjoy your visit. Bukchon is the heart of Korea's central region. I hope you have a wonderful trip.