Jongno 3-ga has been named the world's coolest neighborhood of 2026 by Time Out, the British urban lifestyle and travel media outlet.
Amid the recognition, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited public hanok facilities in the Bukchon area Sunday afternoon to assess the impact of the city's hanok preservation and utilization policies.
The Time Out selection highlighted the charm of Ikseon-dong's alleyways, where historic hanok sit alongside restaurants, outdoor bars, independent shops and cafes — a blend of history and contemporary culture. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said its policies to protect hanok and historic streetscapes, improve pedestrian environments and expand cultural uses have underpinned that appeal.
The visit was arranged so Oh could see firsthand how the hanok preservation and utilization policies he has expanded since announcing the "Seoul Hanok Declaration" at the Bukchon Cultural Center in 2008 are being realized on the ground, and to explore future policy directions based on the growing range of uses hanok now serve — from cultural venues and accommodations to residential spaces.
Starting at the Bukchon Cultural Center, where the fourth Seoul Hanok Week is under way, Oh toured five major public hanok sites in succession: the Hanok Support Center, Bukchon Bingwan, Hanok Mirinaezip and the Baeryeom House. He observed and took part in a hanok living exhibition, a Korean flower-arrangement display, a traditional plastering class run by the Hanok Management Academy, and a jazz concert on a wooden veranda, examining the role public hanok play in conveying the value and appeal of traditional architecture to citizens.
The turning point in Seoul's hanok policy was the "Seoul Hanok Declaration" Oh announced in 2008. It extended hanok preservation and support — previously centered on Bukchon — citywide, and set the direction for nurturing hanok as historic and cultural assets woven into urban life. In 2023, the "Seoul Hanok 4.0 Re-creation" initiative broadened the policy's scope to encompass the modern use and globalization of hanok.
The underground rerouting of Yulgok-ro to reconnect Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo, and improvements to the pedestrian environment along Seosunna-gil, are also part of the city's effort to link historic and cultural spaces with everyday life. By restoring severed historic spaces and improving the surroundings of cultural heritage sites, the city has worked to create places where residents and tourists can walk, linger and enjoy Seoul's history and culture.
"The future I envisioned when I announced the 'Seoul Hanok Declaration' here at the Bukchon Cultural Center 18 years ago was a Seoul where hanok would continue to be used and cherished as part of citizens' lives," Oh said. "The hanok I toured today have taken root as cultural spaces where people enjoy exhibitions and performances, as lodgings for travelers, and as homes where residents live. The efforts to preserve hanok are now flowing into the everyday life and culture of today."
He added that Seoul's appeal and competitiveness grow when contemporary culture is layered onto the city's historic landscapes. "Drawing on the experience accumulated in Bukchon, Seochon and Seosunna-gil, we will expand hanok hubs that reflect each neighborhood's character across Seoul — including the Gyeongdong hanok village in Jegi-dong," he said. "We will broaden the uses of hanok and opportunities to experience them, so that more citizens can enjoy hanok in their daily lives and people from around the world can have a deeper encounter with Seoul's history and culture."
Now in its fourth year, Seoul Hanok Week runs for 10 days from Friday through Oct. 11 at public and private hanok in Bukchon, Seochon and Eunpyeong. Marking the 10th anniversary of the Seoul Excellent Hanok certification, the event expands special openings of hanok not normally accessible to the public along with guided tour programs, and presents 82 programs spanning exhibitions, tours, hands-on activities and performances.
In a video titled "One-Hit Mayor — Jongno 3-ga Named the World's Coolest Neighborhood No. 1" released Sunday afternoon, Oh walked the route from the palace wall path along Yulgok-ro through Donhwamun-ro and Seosunna-gil to the outdoor bars of Jongno 3-ga, explaining how the restoration of historic and cultural spaces, hanok preservation and pedestrian improvements have combined to create the alleyways' present-day charm. He described the background behind the underground rerouting of Yulgok-ro to reconnect the forests of Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo, the creation of a hanok cultural facility on the former gas station site in front of Changdeokgung, and the redevelopment of Seosunna-gil alongside Jongmyo's stone wall.
Oh also reflected on his experience during his first term as mayor, when he walked Seosunna-gil and conceived plans to transform the then-neglected alley, and expressed satisfaction that the stone-wall-complementing paving, expanded pedestrian space and hanok preservation have since given rise to the cafes, craft workshops and alley commerce seen today. He cited the blend of tradition and modernity in the city's historic streetscape — now enriched by an outdoor bar culture — as the defining appeal of Jongno 3-ga, and said the city would continue to cultivate that culture so residents and tourists can enjoy the alleyways and bring vitality to the local economy.
The video is available on the Seoul mayor's official website and the social broadcast channel Live Seoul.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
