(image: Korea Tourism Organization)
SEOUL, Jun. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Bukchon Hanok Village, a major tourist hot spot in Seoul, will be implementing “visitation hours,” barring visitors from touring the area early in the mornings and at night.
The measure stems from complaints of loud noise and invasion of privacy from Bukchon residents.
The local governments of Seoul and Jongno-gu revealed yesterday that the new measure will help reduce inconvenience experienced by local residents and protect their rights by executing eight key points.
One of Seoul’s most popular areas for tourists, Bukchon Hanok Village currently welcomes more than 10,000 visitors a day on average, with 70 percent of its visitors coming from overseas.
But as more and more people visit the Bukchon district, residents have complained about loud noise and garbage that is not properly disposed of. Other complaints include trespassing and illegal parking by non-residents.
At the core of the newly proposed measure is the implementation of set visiting hours, limiting the time during which visitors can tour Bukchon.
The area surrounding Bukchon-ro 11-gil will remain open to visitors between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. Sundays are expected to be designated as “rest days” for the famed alley.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government hopes to initiate the measure on a voluntary basis, but also plans to create a system that would be effective in the long run.
In addition, tour guides will be asked to accompany group tours to prevent visitors from disposing of garbage on the streets. Those without guides will be appointed cultural commentators.
In the long run, a reservation system may be put into place so that group tours are spread out and not concentrated during popular time periods.
The neighborhood will increase the number of times garbage is collected from the current twice a day to three times. During hours that the street sweepers are off duty, two additional cleaners will be employed around the clock.
The local governments of Seoul and Jongno-gu will be holding an open public discussion on June 22 regarding this issue, before implementing the finalized proposal in July.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
