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| Bukchon Hanok Village residents protest mass tourism as tourists wearing hanbok walk around their neighborhood in central Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min, Jung Min-ho
Residents of Bukchon Hanok Village, a popular tourist destination in central Seoul, gathered in their neighborhood Saturday to protest an overwhelming influx of tourists.
"More than 300,000 tourists visit our residential area every month. They make noise, smoke, throw out garbage and even urinate in the street," a protester said in a statement. "We repeatedly asked the government to solve the problem, but little has changed so far."
The residents said they have run out of patience, demanding the government designate their village as a restricted zone and enact proper measures to resolve the problem.
"The government designated our village as a Hanok Conservation Area against our will and shifted the responsibility to us while making little efforts itself," the residents said. "Excessive tourism has seriously undermined the quality of our lives."
David Kilburn, a British man who has lived in Gahoe-dong in the village since 1988, also raised his voice for the importance of "sustainable tourism."
"Hanok should be open for those who want to experience them, but they should also function as livable communities for locals," he told The Korea Times.
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