Looking at Ikseon-dong’s narrow hanok alleys, it is easy to assume that the homes of Joseon-era aristocrats have survived intact. However, the framework of today’s neighborhood was created during the Japanese colonial period, when real estate developer Jeong Se-gwon bought a large tract of land around Nudonggung Palace, divided it into small lots, and built medium-sized and small hanok to sell or lease on a jeonse basis. Although the houses were built in a traditional style, the way the development operated was closer to modern collective housing development.
Why the small hanok are packed so closely together
The Seoul Hanok Portal explains that 118 hanok built before the 1930s are concentrated in Ikseon-dong. Most occupy about 30 pyeong or less, giving them a different character from the large hanok of Bukchon. The narrow alleys and closely spaced eaves are not a romantic design choice but the result of supplying homes for many people on limited inner-city land.
Commercialization followed the failed redevelopment
Ikseon-dong was designated as a redevelopment zone in 2004, but the redevelopment fell through when the association establishment committee was dissolved in 2014. Afterward, cafes, restaurants, and shops moved into renovated hanok, turning the area into a tourist destination, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government designated it as a hanok-concentrated area in 2018. Avoiding demolition did not automatically mean preserving residential life. The houses remained, but the uses and rents of many spaces, as well as the daily rhythm of the alleys, changed.
What to observe before the hanok cafes
Before looking at the interiors of the shops, observe the width of the lots, the rooflines, and the ways the alleys bend. Near Donhwamun-ro, traces of Pimat-gil remain, along with alleys that research indicates have continued since the Goryeo period. Ikseon-dong’s appeal lies less in any single hanok than in the way small houses were connected to create an entire city block.