Ikseon-dong Hanok Village
익선동 한옥마을
The alleys are public streets, so there is no gate, no ticket and no closing time — but almost everything worth walking in for is a business with its own hours, and most of them do not open early. It is also smaller than Bukchon on purpose: these are 30-pyeong houses, not aristocratic compounds.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 익선동 한옥마을
- Address
- Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Jongno 3-ga Station (종로3가역) (Exit 6)
- Opening hours
- open at all hours varies by shop
- Closed
- Open year-round
- Hours notes
- The alleys are public streets. It is a working commercial area with residents in it, not a preserved museum village — the hanok are private property and courtyards are not open to look into. The shops and cafes are largely afternoon-and-evening businesses. Come out of Jongno 3-ga Station exit 6 and walk north.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
History
2004
Designated a redevelopment zone
2014
The redevelopment association's founding committee dissolves
The redevelopment collapsed, and cafés and shops converted from the hanok began to arrive.
2018
Seoul designates the area a hanok conservation district
What to see
The site of Ojinam
An early-1910s commercial hanok that stood at 34-8 Ikseon-dong, where a tourist hotel now is. It was Seoul's registered restaurant number one, one of the three great gisaeng houses of the 1970s and 1980s alongside Daewongak and Samcheonggak, and the place where the July 4th South–North Joint Communiqué of 1972 was discussed. It was demolished in 2010 for the hotel, and its timbers were moved to 315-3 Buam-dong and rebuilt as the cultural centre Mugyewon.
The site of Ojinam selected
Nearby
Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade
A building given over entirely to musical instruments, on Samil-daero beside Tapgol Park. It has dealt in instruments since 1970 and holds some 350 shops across four floors. On Sundays only some of them open.
Unhyeongung
Not one of the grand palaces and not trying to be — a compact residential compound three minutes from Anguk Station that fills the gap between two bigger stops.
Gaeseong Mandu Koong
An Insadong house that has served Gaeseong-style dumplings for more than thirty years, best known for its dumpling hot pot.
Changdeokgung Palace
Choose it for palace architecture plus garden scenery, but confirm whether the Secret Garden requires a separate timed ticket.
Frequently asked questions
How many hanok are there?
118, all built before the 1930s. Seoul designated the area a Hanok Dense Area in 2018 and supports their preservation.
How is it different from Bukchon Hanok Village?
The houses are smaller — mostly under 30 pyeong, with a few in the 50-pyeong range — so the lanes are much narrower. Bukchon was an upper-class quarter; Ikseon-dong was built in the 1920s and 1930s by a developer subdividing lots into affordable homes.
Stories about this place
- Four Hanok Villages Compared: Jeonju, Bukchon, Ikseon-dong and Namsangol
Jeonju, Bukchon, Ikseon-dong and Namsangol compared on how many hanok they hold, what each one is today, and what time constraints apply. They range from around 700 houses down to five, and while all four are free to enter, Bukchon has hours when visitors are not allowed in.
- Four Places to Visit in Ikseon-dong: The Hanok Village, Unhyeongung, Jongmyo and Changdeokgung
Four sites within a short walk of Jongno 3-ga, compared on what you see, how you get in and how long each takes. They close on three different days and only one of them limits how you enter, so the day of the week decides the list.
- Seoul in a Day: Gyeongbokgung to Dongdaemun, 4.1 km on Foot
The day of the week decides this one — Tuesday shuts Gyeongbokgung, Sunday shuts half of Gwangjang Market. Six stops, 4.1 km west to east.
Nearby Food
- Five Seoul Korean Barbecue Restaurants: Hanwoo, Galbi, Bulgogi and Pork Belly
- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
- Northern Korean Food in Seoul: Naengmyeon, Eobok-jaengban, Mandu and Kongbiji
- Seven Seoul houses that open for breakfast — before eight in the morning
- Six Seoul houses that make the noodle by hand — kalguksu, guksi, sujebi
- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
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