Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Bukchon in the capital's Jongno District, where he unveiled the Seoul Hanok Declaration 18 years ago, to review the results of the city's policies on preserving and using hanok, or traditional Korean houses. He also outlined plans to extend the hanok policy that began in Bukchon to other parts of Seoul, including the Gyeongdong Hanok Village in Jegi-dong, to give residents more chances to encounter and experience hanok in daily life.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 5th that Oh visited five public hanok sites the previous day, beginning at the Bukchon Culture Center, where the 4th Seoul Hanok Week 2026 is being held, followed by the Hanok Support Center, Bukchon Bingwan, Hanok Mirinae House and the Bae Ryeom House. He toured exhibitions on hanok and living design and on Korean flower arrangement, took part in a traditional plastering class at the hanok management academy, and reviewed how hanok are now used for culture, lodging and housing.
Bukchon is where Oh's hanok policy began. During his first term in 2008, he announced the Seoul Hanok Declaration at the Bukchon Culture Center and expanded preservation and support policies that had centered on Bukchon to all of Seoul. He also set a direction of treating hanok not merely as objects of preservation but as historical and cultural assets that residents live in and use. In 2023, the city broadened the policy's scope to the modern use and global promotion of hanok through the Seoul Hanok 4.0 Reinvention plan.
"The future I envisioned when I announced the Seoul Hanok Declaration here at the Bukchon Culture Center 18 years ago was a Seoul where hanok continue to be used and loved in citizens' lives," Oh said. "The hanok I toured today have become cultural spaces for exhibitions and performances, lodging where travelers stay, and homes where residents live."
In a YouTube video released the previous day on his "Ilta Mayor" channel — "ilta" being Korean slang for a top-performing instructor, Oh also described his connection with Jongno 3-ga and the hanok policy. Walking from the palace wall path on Yulgok-ro through Donhwamun-ro and Seosunra-gil to the outdoor night dining area at Jongno 3-ga, he explained policies on restoring historical and cultural spaces and preserving hanok, including the undergrounding of Yulgok-ro, the creation of hanok cultural facilities in front of Changdeok Palace and the improvement of Seosunra-gil. Recalling how he had walked Seosunra-gil during his first term and imagined changes to the run-down alley, he said hanok preservation and better walking conditions had led to the cafes, craft workshops and alley businesses there today.
Jongno 3-ga recently ranked first on the list of the world's coolest neighborhoods for 2026 compiled by Time Out, the British city and travel magazine. Oh cited the area's appeal as a historical landscape blending tradition and modernity, with the added draw of its outdoor night dining culture, and said the city would nurture that outdoor dining culture so residents and tourists can enjoy the alleys.
Oh also said he would extend the experience in preserving and using hanok accumulated in Bukchon, Seochon and Seosunra-gil to other areas. "Seoul's appeal and competitiveness grow when we bring today's culture into the city's old landscapes," he said. "We will expand hanok hubs that reflect local character across Seoul, including the Gyeongdong Hanok Village in Jegi-dong."
Seoul Hanok Week runs through the 11th of this month at public and private hanok in the Bukchon, Seochon and Eunpyeong areas. A total of 82 programs are offered, including special openings of hanok normally closed to the public, along with exhibitions, tours, hands-on activities and performances.
