Most first-time visitors choose between Hongdae, Myeongdong, Gangnam and the old-town streets around Insadong and Bukchon. Korea's official permit records show that each of these areas offers a different kind of licensed stay. Hongdae has more than 1,200 licensed homestays. Myeongdong's licensed stays are hotels and lodging businesses, with no licensed homestays at all. Bukchon and Seochon hold about two-thirds of Seoul's licensed hanok stays. Pick the area first, then check the stay's permit with SelectBNBs Verify before you pay.
How we counted
We counted accommodation permits marked "Operating normally" in Korea's official permit records, grouped by the legal neighborhood (dong) in each registered address. Seoul has 11,567 of them: 7,467 urban homestays for foreign tourists, 2,801 lodging businesses, 838 tourist accommodation businesses such as registered tourist hotels, 443 hanok experience businesses and 18 campgrounds (official records as of 11 October 2026). Current coverage and status counts
A count is the number of licensed businesses, not listings, rooms or beds. One hotel permit can cover hundreds of rooms; one homestay permit covers one home. A higher number doesn't make an area better. It tells you what kind of licensed stay you are likely to find there.
Licensed stays by neighborhood
| Neighborhood | District | Urban homestays | Hanok stays | Lodging businesses | Tourist accommodation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hongdae | Mapo-gu | 1,258 | 1 | 37 | 34 | 1,330 |
| Gangnam (Yeoksam, Nonhyeon, Sinsa, Samseong) | Gangnam-gu | 353 | 0 | 133 | 75 | 561 |
| Dongdaemun area | Jung-gu and Jongno-gu | 107 | 5 | 141 | 74 | 327 |
| Sinchon | Seodaemun-gu | 227 | 0 | 61 | 17 | 305 |
| Seochon | Jongno-gu | 104 | 118 | 2 | 0 | 224 |
| Itaewon and Hannam | Yongsan-gu | 196 | 0 | 17 | 10 | 223 |
| Bukchon | Jongno-gu | 24 | 172 | 0 | 0 | 196 |
| Seongsu | Seongdong-gu | 143 | 0 | 22 | 8 | 173 |
| Myeongdong | Jung-gu | 0 | 0 | 35 | 15 | 50 |
| Ikseon-dong | Jongno-gu | 1 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 22 |
| Insadong | Jongno-gu | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 18 |
Operating permits only, official records as of 11 October 2026. The legal neighborhoods counted for each area are listed under Sources and method.
Hongdae (Mapo-gu)
Hongdae is where Seoul's licensed homestays cluster. Its five core neighborhoods (Seogyo-dong, Donggyo-dong, Yeonnam-dong, Hapjeong-dong and Sangsu-dong) have 1,258 licensed urban homestays, about one in six in the city. Mapo-gu as a whole has 2,031, more than any other district.
That makes Hongdae a useful starting point for apartment or house stays; check the permit for the specific listing before booking. An urban homestay for foreign tourists is registered to a resident's home in an eligible housing type; officetels are excluded. Are officetels allowed?
The airport railroad (AREX) stops at Hongik University Station. Visit Seoul: getting to Seoul
From our collection: Sapporo Ryokan (active urban-homestay permit record; the link to this exact listing is partial).
Myeongdong (Jung-gu)
The two legal neighborhoods that make up Myeongdong, Myeongdong 1-ga and 2-ga, have 50 licensed stays: 35 lodging businesses and 15 tourist accommodation businesses, and no licensed urban homestays. If you are looking at an "apartment in Myeongdong" listing, ask what it is registered as and check the record. The licensed homestays nearest Myeongdong are in neighboring Hoehyeon-dong (55) and the Jangchung-dong and Sindang-dong areas to the east.
Myeongdong is not on the airport railroad; the nearest AREX terminus is Seoul Station. Visit Seoul: getting to Seoul
Gangnam (Gangnam-gu)
"Gangnam" is used loosely for much of Seoul south of the river. We counted four Gangnam-gu neighborhoods most visitors mean: Yeoksam-dong, Nonhyeon-dong, Sinsa-dong and Samseong-dong. Together they have 561 licensed stays, a mix of 353 homestays, 133 lodging businesses and 75 tourist accommodation businesses. The area around Gangnam Station also reaches into Seocho-gu, which we did not count here.
From our collection: Black Condo (active urban-homestay permit record).
Insadong and Ikseon-dong (Jongno-gu)
These old-town streets have few licensed stays of their own: 18 in Insadong (counting Insadong and Gwanhun-dong) and 22 in Ikseon-dong, mostly lodging and tourist accommodation businesses. Most of the licensed hanok stays near them are a few minutes north, in Bukchon.
From our collection, in Ikseon-dong: Yul Jae (active hanok permit record) as well as Ha Nok-un (active hanok permit record; the link to this exact listing is partial).
Bukchon and Seochon: Seoul's licensed hanoks (Jongno-gu)
Of Seoul's 443 licensed hanok experience businesses, 172 are in Bukchon and 118 in Seochon, about two-thirds of the city's total. A hanok experience business is its own licence category, separate from homestays and hotels. A traditional-looking listing still needs its own registration. Hanok or hotel in Seoul?
From our collection, with an active hanok permit record when we last checked (29 September 2026):
- Bukchon: Cloudscape, Cozy #2, Waterhouse
- Seochon: Blissful House, Graceful Haven, Hanok Anthology, MOOD AM, Retreat Dohyun, Stay Warm Hearth - East, Whispering Garden
Each stay's page shows its full result, including where the match to the listing is only partial. Best hanoks in Seoul · Bukchon · Seochon
Dongdaemun (Jung-gu and Jongno-gu)
The Dongdaemun shopping and market area is not in the district called Dongdaemun-gu. Dongdaemun Design Plaza sits in Jung-gu, and the markets around the old gate run into Jongno-gu. We counted the neighborhoods around them in both districts (Gwanghui-dong, Euljiro 6-ga and 7-ga, Jongno 5-ga and 6-ga, and Changsin-dong): 327 licensed stays, the most even mix of homestays, lodging businesses and tourist accommodation in this list. Dongdaemun Design Plaza address, Seoul Tourism Organization
Itaewon and Hannam (Yongsan-gu)
Itaewon-dong and Hannam-dong have 223 licensed stays, 196 of them urban homestays. Most licensed stays here are homes rather than hotels.
Seongsu (Seongdong-gu)
Seongsu-dong 1-ga and 2-ga have 173 licensed stays, 143 of them urban homestays.
Sinchon (Seodaemun-gu)
Sinchon, next to Hongdae but in a different district, has 305 licensed stays, most of them homestays in Changcheon-dong.
Which licence should the stay have?
| What you're booking | Licence to look for |
|---|---|
| An apartment or house, booked by foreign guests | Urban homestay for foreign tourists (외국인관광 도시민박업) |
| A traditional hanok | Hanok experience business (한옥체험업) |
| A hotel, motel or serviced residence | Lodging business (숙박업) or tourist accommodation (관광숙박업) |
These are the common cases, not every one. Which permit category should I check?
From 12 November 2026, Korean law also requires booking platforms to check a lodging business's registration before listing it. What the new rule means for your booking
Questions and answers about staying in Seoul
Is an Airbnb in Hongdae legal?
Many are registered: Hongdae has more licensed urban homestays than anywhere else in Seoul. Whether a particular listing is registered depends on its own permit. Copy the listing's registration details and check them in Verify.
Why does Myeongdong show no licensed homestays?
In the official records as of 11 October 2026, no urban-homestay permit in Myeongdong 1-ga or 2-ga is operating. The licensed stays there are lodging and tourist accommodation businesses. A listing that describes itself as a Myeongdong homestay should be able to show which registration it holds.
Can I stay in an officetel in Seoul?
Officetels can't be registered as urban homestays, and Airbnb's Korea guidance says officetels classified as business facilities are not permitted for hosting. Are officetels and studio apartments allowed?
Does a high count make an area safer or better?
No. It shows how many licensed businesses are there and what kind. Choose the area for your trip, then check the stay itself.
Before booking your stay
Pick the area. Check the stay's registration details. Compare the record's name, address and status with the listing.
Check a Korean stay with SelectBNBs Verify →
Choosing between a few stays? Alo from our team grew up in Korea and still lives here. On a private 30-minute video call in English he can talk through which neighborhood and which stay fit your trip, and you get a written follow-up. It costs $89. The call is trip advice, not a permit check.
Talk your trip through with us
Sources and method
- Permit records: Ministry of the Interior and Safety LOCALDATA via Korea's Public Data Portal: the urban homestay, hanok experience, lodging as well as tourist accommodation datasets, as cached by Verify. Latest government source update 11 October 2026. Only records with the status "Operating normally" are counted. Verify methodology
- Legal neighborhoods counted: Hongdae: Seogyo, Donggyo, Yeonnam, Hapjeong, Sangsu (Mapo-gu). Sinchon: Changcheon, Daehyeon (Seodaemun-gu). Myeongdong: Myeongdong 1-ga, 2-ga (Jung-gu). Dongdaemun area: Gwanghui-dong 1-ga and 2-ga, Euljiro 6-ga and 7-ga (Jung-gu); Jongno 5-ga and 6-ga, Changsin-dong (Jongno-gu). Insadong: Insa-dong, Gwanhun-dong. Ikseon-dong. Bukchon: Gahoe, Gye, Samcheong, Wonseo, Jae, Palpan, Sogyeok, Anguk. Seochon: Nuha, Chebu, Tongin, Pirun, Ogin, Nusang, Hyoja, Sajik, Naeja, Changseong, Cheongun (all Jongno-gu). Itaewon and Hannam (Yongsan-gu). Seongsu-dong 1-ga and 2-ga (Seongdong-gu). Gangnam: Yeoksam, Nonhyeon, Sinsa, Samseong (Gangnam-gu).
- Our stays: each stay's permit result is from its SelectBNBs page. We rechecked these pages on 13 October 2026; the saved permit checks shown on them are dated 29 September 2026.
- Airport railroad stops: Visit Seoul as well as Incheon International Airport, accessed 13 October 2026.
This guide gives general information for travelers, not a legal opinion on an individual property. The relevant local authority can confirm a specific case. SelectBNBs Verify is an independent service using official public data; it is not a Korean government website.