Bukchon Through a Resident’s Eyes

Bukchon Hanok Village is one of central Seoul’s best-known places to visit. It lies just east of Gyeongbokgung Palace, so the two make a natural pair on a walk. Insa-dong is nearby to the south.

It is remarkable how many traditional hanok houses still stand together in the middle of the city.

When a Residential Neighborhood Draws Too Many Visitors

Its location and architecture made Bukchon a popular stop. When I first moved to Seoul in 2011, the lanes already seemed busy whenever I visited.

That was a period when many Chinese tour groups were visiting Korea, and Bukchon was one of the places they came. It continues to draw visitors, in numbers that have made overtourism a concern.

As businesses catering to visitors moved in, some of the shops that supplied residents with everyday necessities disappeared. Residents have reported that the shift made daily life harder.

A Book from 2009

Ok Seon-hui was living in Bukchon when she wrote this book. Published in 2009, it follows the neighborhood through descriptions of individual places and stories she had gathered there.

As more time passes, the book may read increasingly like a record of what it felt like to live in Bukchon at that moment.

Looking at Bukchon from the Inside

I lived in nearby Hyehwa-dong while studying at Sungkyunkwan University. I remember vaguely hoping I might earn enough to live in Bukchon myself one day. That made it especially interesting to read someone who was already living there.

The book led me to corners I had never noticed and gave me a sense of experiences that belonged to the neighborhood.

Over 365 pages, Ok introduces places through their histories. I had never lived there, yet I could picture being on those streets as I read. The research is apparent in the care she takes with each place.

A Way Into an Earlier Bukchon

The book is still a way to get to know Bukchon. Years have passed since it was written, and individual places may look different today.

That difference may be part of what makes it worth reading. As time goes on, the book can also tell readers what the neighborhood once looked and felt like.

Book Information

A Fascination with Bukchon: Ok Seon-hui’s Account of a Neighborhood She Knew for a Decade

Author

Ok Seon-hui

Publication date

20 November 2009

ISBN13

9788992650243

View book on YES24

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