The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Hotels grapple with chronic staff shortages

  • 3

    'Moon gov't neglected, concealed North's killing of S. Korean official'

  • 5

    Giant panda statue at Everland

  • 7

    Padres' Kim Ha-seong files blackmail complaint against Korean player

  • 9

    K-dramas, beauty, food to maintain popularity on TikTok in 2024

  • 11

    SK reshuffles top management focusing on generational shift

  • 13

    Major hospitals struggle to recruit pediatricians

  • 15

    Lawyer of Korean descent selected as chair of Dentons Global Board

  • 17

    INTERVIEW'Now is time for Koreans to unlock potential in Africa'

  • 19

    LGES, KAIST enable EVs to go 900 km on single charge

  • 2

    Korea to expand visa benefits to accelerate inbound tourism

  • 4

    INTERVIEWMeet the man behind giant rubber ducks that once took over Seoul

  • 6

    Photo of Samsung chief's playful pose goes viral

  • 8

    CJ Olive Young fined 1.89 bil. won for unfair supply contracts

  • 10

    China's Xi warns top EU officials not to engage in 'confrontation'

  • 12

    'Soundtrack #2' tells classic yet realistic love story

  • 14

    NYT picks President Yoon, NewJeans among 71 'most stylish' people of 2023

  • 16

    Pro-Palestine protests in Seoul concern Israeli ambassador

  • 18

    Samsung to unveil AI-powered lifestyle vision at CES 2024

  • 20

    Yoon vows to expand support for arms industry

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Sat, December 9, 2023 | 09:04
Pondering future of traditional ’hanok’ villages
Posted : 2011-10-18 16:24
Updated : 2011-10-18 16:24
Do Je-hae
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link

An idyllic street in Andong Hahoe Village, which was designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites last year, and since then has seen numerous visitors. The village, however, is struggling to maintain its traditional way of life with the rise in the number of visitors. / Korea Times file

Disruption from excessive tourism calls for attention to policy change

By Do Je-hae

Can preservation and successful tourism co-exist in famous traditional villages?

This was the main topic of discussion among architecture scholars and experts at a recent policy forum organized by the Architecture and Urban Research Institute (AURI).

Since being named UNESCO World Heritage Sites last year, two villages known for traditional-style Korean houses, or “hanok,” have been swamped with tourists.

Hahoe and Yandong villages, both located in the southern part of the country, are searching for ways to cope with their new status as a major tourism export while maintaining their traditional way of life.

"More people are taking an interest in hanok villages and the benefits of living in traditional houses," said Sohn Sae-gwan, president of AURI at a forum held Tuesday at Seoul Museum of History in central Seoul. According to the latest government survey, around 40 percent of the respondents said that they were interested in living in hanok.

October is the season of school field trips and tour buses bring in huge tourist crowds, hampering the lives of residents.

"But there have not been sufficient policy measures to deal with the influx of tourists to traditional hanok villages," Sohn said.

For such villages, tourism is not an option since they need new growth engines besides agriculture. Many residents are aged or leaving to find livelihoods elsewhere.

"The dilemma is that besides being tourist sites, these places are actually inhabited by people who wish to continue their traditional way of life and preserve their environment," said professor Kim Bong-yeol of Korean National University of the Arts.
The two folk villages where noble clans of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) lived were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in recognition of their Confucian cultural characteristics.

One of the most well-known clan villages in Korea, the Andong Hahoe Village has been inhabited by members of the Ryu clan of Pungsan for hundreds of years. Nestled along the bends of the Nakdong River, the village is currently home to 120 families and features many cultural assets, including important houses and other national treasures. Yangdong is a clan village that has been home to the Gyeongju Son family for more than five centuries.

The World Heritage Committee, in inscribing them on the list, described the villages as reflecting "the distinctive aristocratic Confucian culture" of the times. "The landscapes of mountains, trees and water around the village, framed in views from pavilions and retreats, were celebrated for their beauty by 17th and 18th century poets," it said.

There are about 170 such villages that receive government funds for preservation across the country.

"I spoke with South Jeolla Governor Park June-young on the phone after a column I contributed to the Gwangju Ilbo and he urged the central government to pay more policy attention to the preservation of hanok villages," Yoo Byung-kwon, a director-general at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said.

"While there has been no visible outcome yet, the government has initiated research projects on hanok. We are also planning to nurture more experts in the area." Yoo added.

AURI was established by the government last year to conduct a more systematic research on the preservation and future of hanok.
The institute will hold a follow-up forum on Nov. 24, centering on the industrial aspect of hanok.
Emailjhdo@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
LG group
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to expand visa benefits to accelerate inbound tourism Korea to expand visa benefits to accelerate inbound tourism
2Seoul awards honorary citizenship to outstanding foreign residentsSeoul awards honorary citizenship to outstanding foreign residents
3Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game Seoul-Moscow ties likely stuck in limbo amid blame game
4Will Korea avoid hard landing in housing market? Will Korea avoid hard landing in housing market?
5Why Korean shoppers flock to Chinese e-commerce sitesWhy Korean shoppers flock to Chinese e-commerce sites
6‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation
7K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades
8Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser Hyundai Motor hires former US Ambassador to Korea Sung Kim as adviser
9[INTERVIEW] Ex-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency INTERVIEWEx-NIS chief urges politicians to stop misusing spy agency
10Korea, US tighten partnerships in chip, battery, AI Korea, US tighten partnerships in chip, battery, AI
Top 5 Entertainment News
1‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation‘12.12: The Day’ goes strong at box office, attracts younger generation
2K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades K-pop's appeal reflected in global accolades
3[REVIEW] Musical 'Monte Cristo' returns with riveting tale of vengeance, love REVIEWMusical 'Monte Cristo' returns with riveting tale of vengeance, love
4[INTERVIEW] Meet the man behind giant rubber ducks that once took over Seoul INTERVIEWMeet the man behind giant rubber ducks that once took over Seoul
5'Soundtrack #2' tells classic yet realistic love story 'Soundtrack #2' tells classic yet realistic love story
DARKROOM
  • It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

    It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

    2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

  • Appreciation of autumn colors

    Appreciation of autumn colors

  • Our children deserve better

    Our children deserve better

  • Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

    Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel: 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844
Date of registration: 2020.02.05
Masthead: The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group