Full Breakdown
Jongno 3-ga Crowned World’s Coolest Neighbourhood: From Hidden Haven to Tourist Hotspot
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event – Ranking and Immediate Reaction
Time Out’s 2026 “Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World” list placed Jongno 3-ga in Seoul at the top spot, overtaking L’Ocean District in Rabat and Neos Kosmos in Athens. The district had ranked third in the 2021 edition. The September 2026 announcement sparked a surge of media attention and visitor interest.
Background & Context – A Historically Low-Key District
Jongno 3-ga sits in Seoul’s historic centre, a maze of narrow lanes lined with hanok houses from the 1920s. For decades the area was known for modest street-food tents (pojangmacha), low-priced eateries, and a vibrant LGBTQ+ night scene that operated after 9 p.m. The neighbourhood also hosted informal economies such as tiny-room settlements, sex work in Tapgol Park, and elderly residents playing janggi on the pavement.
Data & Statistics – Rankings and Tourism Growth
- Time Out’s ranking criteria include food & drink, nightlife, unique local businesses, liveability and community.
- The Seoul International Garden Show, opened on May 1, recorded 10,005,899 visitors by mid-September, illustrating the broader surge in tourist numbers to Seoul.
- According to the Korea Heritage Service, 15,031,603 people visited Seoul’s four major royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine last year; 4,226,371 (about 28 %) were foreign tourists.
Impact – Gentrification and Displacement
Following the ranking, queues now stretch up to an hour at remaining pojangmacha, and Instagram-ready photo-booths and claw-machine arcades have proliferated. Small “humble rice-and-soup” stalls are being replaced by dessert cafés and boutique bakeries. Rents have risen sharply, prompting the exit of long-standing gay-nightlife venues, sex workers, and the informal chess boards outside Tapgol Park. Residents describe the neighbourhood as “heavily curated” and “no longer very Korean.”
Official Statements & Responses – Managing Tourist Behaviour
Lee Gwang-sam, chief of the security office at Gyeongbok Palace’s management office, highlighted disruptive conduct by some foreign visitors:
“Foreign tourists come in groups to play cards or urinate in the street, and sometimes they dance in a circle, almost like ganggangsullae.”
Kim Tae-young, director of Gyeongbok Palace’s management office, noted the difficulty staff face when enforcing rules amid the influx:
“Visitors file complaints asking us to crack down on this kind of behavior, but our staff run into real difficulties when they actually try to enforce the rules, and that's a serious concern for us.”
The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, under the Korea Heritage Service, has launched a five-day campaign to promote proper visitor etiquette at the four major palaces, distributing printed guidelines and holding a public forum on admission-fee reforms.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps – Missing Quantitative Details
Sources describe “sharp” rent increases and “queues up to an hour,” but no specific rent figures or average waiting times are provided. The extent to which the Time Out ranking alone versus broader K-culture popularity drives the changes remains unquantified.
What’s Next – Ongoing Tourism Management
The KHS campaign runs through the end of the current week, and officials are discussing differentiated admission pricing for foreign tourists and phased fee increases at the palaces. No further official plans for Jongno 3-ga’s urban development have been announced, leaving the neighbourhood’s future character uncertain.