Hanok: Traditional Residence Architecture in Seoul

Among the fine traditional Korean houses which have been transported from elsewhere to form the Namsangol Hanok Village, at the foot of Namsan, stands a house built by master craftsman Lee Seung-eop. The house originally stood in Samgak-dong, next to Gwangyo Bridge over Cheonggyecheon stream, but in the course of development and redevelopment, the house recognized as a fine specimen of middle-class architecture, was dismantled and reconstructed in a collection of other hanok to create the Namsangol Hanok Village. The house was originally known as 'Hongmun (Red Gate) Seot-gol (Standing Town), Ibyeokdong-daek (residence of Ibyeokdong)'.

This remarkably fine house with unusual embellishments was built for his own use by Lee Seung-up, the master builder who worked on rebuilding Gyeongbok Palace in the latter half of the 19th century. Gyeongbok Palace, which had fallen into disrepair over many decades, was ordered to be restored by Heungseon Daewongun (1820-1899), the father who ruled in stead of young King Kojong (1852-1919).

Approximately a decade after master carpenter Lee Seung-eop constructed this house, he encountered financial hardships and was forced to sell, whereupon in 1889 the yangban grandfather (Kyoungju Lee clan) of Lee Sang-oak, our tour guide but of no direct relationship to builder Lee, purchased the house. Three generations of Lee (Yi) lived in the house: Yi Chaeyun (1837-1917), Yi Chong'ik (1889-1966), and Yi Yong'u (1917 - ??? [the book was published in 1998]). 

Lee Sang-oak, our guide, was born in this house, as were his two sisters and elder brother. He lived there until 1964 (he was about 20) when the house was sold to P'unghan Company and remodeled. From 1970 - 1996 Cho Heung Bank used the residence as a small bank museum. During that time, in 1977, Seoul city government designated the residence as City Cultural Asset No. 20. And finally in 1996, the house was sold to the City of Seoul along with four other residences around the city and all five were relocated to the north side of Namsan with the intent of making a park for the preservation of traditional architecture.

Guide Lee Sang-Oak told us stories of his growing up, the foods and cultural events enjoyed by the family, the symbolism and in particular the pungsujiri (geomantic principles) employed in the architecture, and other insights about the construction of the home, its impact on King Kojong (story later!), and details about personal life. Whoever really considers the stories the walls can tell if someone is willing to patiently listen!

Dr. Lee Sang-Oak and Brother Anthony, friends that go way back, explaining the topography of Seoul and why the original location of his house was so propitious. Located in front of the "Red Gate" entrance to his former house/courtyard.

Dr Lee Sang-Oak explaining the functions of the various parts of the house ... and how they were originally, and then after "renovation". Basically, as one historian puts it, "the city butchered his house". To give examples, brick walls are now plastered, whitewashed walls, the ondol passageways are minuscule and nonfunctional now, the traditional three-steps leading to the house were reduced to the convenient one. [Three steps up meant as a person approached house of prestige or standing, the visitor had to look up and be struck by the grandeur created by height.

Evidently the Namsangol Falconer's Organization has an operator here. There was always a stream of kids around the guy with his kestrel and his falcon. He didn't mind if people touched the larger bird either ... and the bird didn't seem to mind either!

For W5,000 a person could have the kestrel fly and land on his or her hand.

Petting was encouraged!

"Commercial" over, now back to Dr. Lee Sang-Oak. Dr. Lee showed up the geomantic symbols. The whole house had symbols hidden on walls, corners. roof beams, and more.

Pungsujiri (geomatric symbols here): the inverted swastika for Buddhistic thought, bats, trigrams like those found on the Korean flag (each trigram represents a humor: earth, air, etc), clouds, patterned windows for well wishes, ...

 

Originally this was the men's residence and was just a single room. Now it's divided into guest residence rooms for privacy.

Even the bird looks at the woman in hanbok gliding around the grounds.

A bit of entertainment for the foreigners and kids who visit the hanok village: "Walk Like a Yangban". Walking like a yangban was to walk confidently (thus, the wide appearing tiles for "authentic" practice),

The Red Moon Gate, the single entrance to the house: Originally the gate stood tall and proud like this one. What's interesting is that when there were no high-rises, King Kojong could look out of Gyeongbokgung and see ... the Red Moon Gate, and supposedly, discomfited he asked, "Whose gate is that?" And once he found out ... the Lee family was asked, which means told, to lower the gate so that King Kojong wouldn't see a gate taller than himself in the near distance. Of course they lowered the house ... and had to bend way down in order to enter, which conveyed indirectly humility to the king.

A spring look at Dr. Lee's former residence.

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About our guide and the author of the book on his first home:

Book: A Traditional Residential Architecture in Seoul: A Study of the Yi Byeokdong Residence of Hongmun-dong (1998), Hollym University Press.

Sang-Oak Lee earned his B.A. and M.A. from Seoul National University, an additional M.A. from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics with a doctoral fellowship from Harvard University. He is now an emeritus professor at Seoul National University, where he was for many years a professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature.

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The essentials about the house -- from Dr. Lee Sang-Oak's book (pp 10-13).