Authorities are introducing a visitor's curfew to curb overtourism in Seoul's Bukchon Hanok Village. Last year, the area's traditional houses attracted millions of tourists, overwhelming the neighborhood's small local population. The government hopes the curfew, which will begin a trial next month, will protect the quality of life of Bukchon's residents.
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00:00A constant stream of foot traffic fills the narrow, winding roads and alleyways of the
00:06Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul.
00:09In recent years, the area known for its traditional Korean houses has seen an influx of tourists,
00:16creating stress for its residents.
00:19Now the government has proposed a trial curfew to begin in November.
00:23Good news for tired locals, but business owners in the area, who rely on the tourists, are
00:28worried.
00:29Who would want to come to Korea?
00:32And if you have bad feelings about Korea, I don't like Korean goods.
00:37The curfew will block tourists from entering certain parts of the village between 5 p.m.
00:42and 10 a.m., with violators facing fines of up to around 70 U.S. dollars.
00:48Visitor numbers here have ballooned over the past decade.
00:52Around 6 million people visited Bukchon last year, overwhelming the small village of around
00:586,000 residents.
01:01Locals say loud noises, littering, and privacy violations have become a daily annoyance.
01:07A lot of people come and try to get in through the front door, or try to get in through the
01:16window.
01:17There's a lot of noise, so it's hard to take pictures or do other things.
01:26The mayor of Seoul's Jongno District, where the village is located, says the curfew policy
01:31is not set in stone, and that his office will do what it can to meet the needs of the community.
01:39When tourists come, we try to keep the village balanced, and the residents don't have to
01:45be inconvenienced.
01:47We just keep on working on improving the situation, and we're just starting.
01:56Signs in multiple languages have been set up around the village, imploring tourists
02:01to be more mindful.
02:03Tourists are divided over the curfew and fines.
02:06Some disagree that they should be fined for simply walking down a public road, while others
02:11agree with the idea behind the policy.
02:13Yeah, I totally agree with that.
02:17If the tourists are being rude and disrespectful to the residents living here, that shouldn't
02:22be allowed.
02:23And, yeah, there should be protections in place so their peace and sanity is preserved.
02:30There are also unanswered questions about how to enforce the rules, and some exceptions.
02:36For example, tourists staying overnight in the village are exempt from the curfew, but
02:41there's no question that tired residents will have to continue enduring throngs of tourists,
02:46if only during the daylight hours.
02:49Andy Xue and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.