Harmony of hanoks and traditional craft workshops

Bukchon 3rd View is a hanok alley with hanoks on each side of a narrow alley. You cannot see inside most hanoks, as there are people living there. But, there are many famous museums and craft workshops where you can go inside and join experience programs with a small admission fee.

Han Sang-soo Embroidery Museum exhibits colorful embroidery artworks, and Gahoe Museum displays folk paintings, talisman and other folk relics. You can see beautiful traditional ornamental knots at Donglim Knot Craft Workshop or join various traditional craft programs without reservation at Bukchon Traditional Craft Experience Center.

Why are there so many traditional craft workshops in Bukchon? As hanoks began to disappear from the village due to development projects since the late 1960s, the government implemented a policy to preserve hanoks in the 1980s. Also, there were movements to preserve traditional culture. So, the city of Seoul purchased hanoks in the village and leased most of them to traditional craftsmen.

While Bukchon Cultural Center shows the traditional form of hanok, hanoks here feature a modern-style hanok structure of the 1930s, when a lot of small hanoks were built simultaneously. Most craft workshops have preserved their original form, so you can guess what people’s lives were like in the past. You can also join experience programs at these workshops.

At the end of the hanok alley, cross the road to Donmi Pharmacy to go to Bukchon 4th View. With almost 70 years of history, the Pharmacy is also a famous spot in Bukchon.