Since the beginning of 2024, many countries around the world have started facing the problem of over tourism. Some of the countries affected by over tourism are trying to tackle it by attempting to minimize the arrival of tourists to their countries, one of which is South Korea.
With its booming K-pop culture and popular dramas, Korea has certainly become one of the favorite destinations for international tourists. The continuously increasing number of tourist arrivals has made Korea begin to struggle in handling the situation.
Local Government Takes Action
The local government in one of Seoul’s historical tourist spots, namely Bukchon Hanok Village, will take stricter measures to protect the Bukchon Hanok Village area from crowds of tourists flooding the streets and causing conflicts with local residents.
Bukchon Hanok Village itself is one of Korea’s favorite tourist destinations. Its main attraction lies in the beautiful and well-preserved traditional Korean houses known as “hanok.”
As with the impact of over tourism in other countries, here too the number of tourists has far exceeded the number of local residents. This has led to increasing complaints about noise, littering, and privacy issues around the area.
In an effort to ease tensions between tourists and local residents, as well as to control the crowds, the local government will start limiting tourist access to Bukchon Hanok Village beginning in early October 2024.
There will be fines imposed on those who violate the rules.
In addition, a strict curfew for tourists will be enforced every day between 5:00 PM and 10:00 AM. Chartered buses carrying tourists will also be restricted in several locations. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion that often occurs.
Furthermore, the area around Bukchon Hanok Village will be divided into three zones: red, orange, and yellow. This zoning aims to enable the local government to control and monitor crowds in the most densely populated areas.
On the other hand, according to data from the Seoul government, a total of 6.6 million tourists, both local and international, visited Bukchon Hanok Village in 2023.
