Hidden Between Palaces
Writer: Grace Kim
Name: Bukchon Hanok Village
Architect: Unknown
Approximate Date: Late 19th - Early 20th centuries
Materials: Wood frames, stone foundations, clay roof tiles (giwa), hanji (traditional Korean paper)
Location: Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
The first time I went into Bukchon Hanok Village, it didn’t feel like entering a tourist attraction. It felt like accidentally walking into another era. Right next to streets in Seoul, filled with cars, cafes, and convenience stores, Bukchon opens up into narrow alleys that hold traditional hanok houses. The roofs are curved towards the sky, and behind the wooden gates, there are small courtyards. It’s peaceful but also somewhat surreal.
Bukchon wasn't built to act as a museum. Instead, during the Joseon period, the neighborhood was where government officials and aristocrats lived because of its location between royal palaces. Living here meant that they were tied to some political power, but the houses were still designed with practicality and harmony with nature. Hanok architecture uses wood frames, stone foundations, and paper windows to show that homes follow the land instead of forcing the landscape to fit the design.
What surprised me wasn’t the architecture; it was that the village exists in a strange space. There’s almost a gap that sits between Seoul outside the village and Seoul inside it. Outside, everything is moving quickly: buses, cars, and people. But in Bukchon, everything is slow and peaceful.
What makes Bukchon unique is that it is still a living neighborhood, most Hanok villages are preserved architecture where most houses are museums and tea houses, and even though Bukchon has a few of them, most people live in the houses. This creates an interesting balance between preservation of architecture and modern life. The village is adapting over time as tourism is increasing, but it still holds characteristics that have been passed down.
I chose Bukchon because it reminds me of something more than just buildings and design. In a city like Seoul, where the sky is filled with skyscrapers and redevelopment projects, places like Bukchon help bridge the gap between the past and the future.
Sometimes the most meaningful architecture isn’t the biggest or the most famous, it's just a quiet neighborhood hidden between palaces.
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