The name Bukchon (北村, Bukchon) means “the neighbourhood above Cheonggyecheon and Jongno”. It sits on the southern slope of the ridge that links Bugak and Eungbong, and powerful families have lived here since early times. Household records from 1906 show that 43.6% of Bukchon household heads were yangban or officials.
In the 1930s, as Seoul expanded and its population grew, the neighbourhood changed greatly. Housing companies bought up large plots and built small and mid-sized hanok in bulk to sell. The hanok lanes at Gahoe-dong 11 and 31, Samcheong-dong 35 and Gye-dong 135 date from this time. They were a new kind of city house, with glass doors on the main hall and tin awnings under the eaves.
In the 1970s, schools left for the new Gangnam developments and large buildings took their place. The site Gyeonggi High School left in 1976 became Jeongdok Public Library. In 1983 the area was designated a scenic district to protect the hanok, but when height limits were relaxed in 1991, tearing down hanok to build multi-family housing spread.
In 1999, at the request of a residents’ group, the Seoul city government drew up a new policy for Bukchon. It helped residents register and repair their own hanok, and took effect from 2001. In July 2024 Jongno-gu designated Bukchon a special management area, and since March 2025 it has fined people who break the visiting-hour rules.
