'Nearly 200 Foreign Visitors a Day' — Hanbok Rentals Become Must-Do in Seoul
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Hanbok rental shops around Seoul palaces have surged as a popular tourist activity, drawing up to 200 foreign visitors daily near Gyeongbokgung. About 25 rental stores were found within a 50m radius of Gyeongbokgung Station exit 4, and Seoul now counts 320 hanbok shops, up from 307 last year. The trend—boosted by K-content and palace sightseeing—has led to a 268% rise in hanbok-wearing visitors at the four major palaces and Jongmyo over two years. Many tourists, including Western visitors, enjoy dressing in hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) to experience walking through palaces like a time travel, but the boom mainly benefits rental businesses. Traditional hanbok makers complain that mass-produced, low-cost rental garments dominate the market and high-end handcrafted hanbok (priced around 500,000–1,000,000 won) are not seeing increased sales. Experts call for targeted research and strategies to convert tourist interest into broader support for the traditional hanbok industry.
