Seoul Metropolitan Government Launches First Hanok Management Academy, Recording a Six-to-One Competition Ratio

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 3rd that the hands-on educational program “2026 Hanok Management Academy,” designed to help hanok residents and citizens maintain and care for their homes themselves, has begun its training sessions.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will operate the Hanok Management Academy from its first regular class that day through November 28. Introduced for the first time this year, the academy received 574 applications for 96 places, recording a high competition ratio of approximately six to one and demonstrating strong public interest in hanok management.
Ahead of the regular classes, an opening seminar titled “Hanok and the Life Within” was held on the 1st at the Bukchon Hanok Support Center. Following a keynote lecture by Jeon Bong-hee, a professor at Seoul National University, attendees from diverse backgrounds—including residents who have lived in hanok homes for four generations and religious figures—gathered for an in-depth discussion on hanok living culture and policy.
The regular program is offered free of charge across six courses divided into basic and advanced levels. The basic courses cover practical self-inspection and maintenance techniques, including painting wood, caulking gaps in walls, plaster repairs, hanji wallpapering, and partial repairs to window paper. The advanced courses teach more specialized inspection and repair methods through both theory and practice, including analysis of timber-frame deformation and the identification and control of termite infestations. Field experts and artisans participate directly in every course, clearly explaining what residents can manage themselves and when professional repairs are required.
Myung No-jun, Director General for Housing of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, “Hanok is a precious living culture that is passed on to the next generation through the process of residents living in and caring for it. Building on the enthusiastic support, we will expand sustainable education and on-site assistance that connect residents’ experience with experts’ skills.”


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