INFORMATION

BOOKS

•Kim, Bongryol. The Secret Spirit of Korean Architecture. London, UK: Saffron Books, 2005.

•Yim, Seock-jae. The Traditional Space: A Study of Korean Architecture. Seoul: Ewha Womans University Press, 2005.
[NB The Traditional Space is just one volume in Yim’s Study of Korean Architecture series: other volumes include Windows and Doors; Floral Lattices, Columns and Pavilions; Stone, Walls and Paths; and Roofs and Lines.]

•Kim, Sung-woo. Buddhist Architecture of Korea. Elizabeth, N.J.; Seoul: Hollym, 2007.

•Kim, Dong-uk. Palaces of Korea. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym, 2006.

•Lee, Sang-hae. Seowon: The Architecture of Korea’s Private Academies. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym, 2005.

•The Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture.
Korean Traditional Landscape Architecture. Elizabeth, NJ; Seoul: Hollym, 2007.

•Chun, Jin-Hee, et al. Hanoak: Traditional Korean Homes. Elizabeth, N.J.: Hollym, 1999.

•Kim, Sung Hong and Peter Cachola Schmal (eds.). Contemporary Korean Architecture: Megacity Network. Berlin: Jovis, 2007.

MAGAZINES

SPACE: This monthly bilingual Korean and English magazine deals with architecture, urban design, interior design, and more. Published since 1966, it is well regarded in architecture circles worldwide. Its website (www.vmspace.com) is also full of good information.

ONLINE RESOURCES

•KOREANARCHITECTURE.COM
www.koreanarchitecture.com
An English-language “online community for open discussions on Korean architecture”

•Korean Architecture
www.koreanarchitecture.org
Website of a research organization founded and guided by Juhee Lee-Hartford of River Architects, with information on Korean buildings and architects as well as a glossary of traditional Korean architectural terms.
As of December 2012, the site is still at an early stage of development.

•Asian Historical Architecture
www.orientalarchitecture.com
Information on plenty of key South and North Korean buildings, all traditional with the exception of those in Pyongyang.

•e-architect (Korea page)
www.e-architect.co.uk/korea
Information on a large number of contemporary Korean buildings, mostly located in Seoul

•TradINNOVAtion: New Trends in Contemporary Korean
www.koreasociety.org (search for “TradINNOVATION”)
Downloadable podcast of a talk delivered to the Korea Society
by architect Doojin Hwang in April 2009, on synthesizing traditional forms and contemporary design.

PLACES TO VISIT

•Bukchon Hanok Village
The collection of neighborhoods between Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces is renowned for its high concentration of hanok houses. Several of these have been converted into small museums introducing various aspects of Korean traditional culture. Bukchon Cultural Center (http://bukchon.seoul.go.kr), which offers a brief introduction to the basics of hanok and this area, is a good place to start. Come out of Exit 3 of Anguk Station, Seoul Metro Line 3, then take the first left.

•Seochon
Though less systematically protected and touristy than Bukchon, the atmopsheric area between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Mt. Inwangsan also contains many hanok. Head north from Exit 1 or 2 of Gyeongbokgung Station, Seoul Metro Line 3.

•Jeonju Hanok Village
A well-known collection of over 800 hanok in the southwestern city of Jeonju, popular among Jeonju locals and tourists alike for its traditional architecture, food, tea, and various cultural experience programs (tour-eng.jeonju.go.kr).

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE SCHOOLS

•Cheongdo Hanok School
www.hanokschool.net | (054) 373-8555
This hanok school in Gyeongsangbukdo Province has been open since 2003. It offers various courses, including full-time 12-week daemok (hanok structure building) and somok (hanok window frames, furniture etc) courses, a 12-week weekend self-build course, and more.

•Hanok Academy (Andong)
www.hanokacademy.co.kr | (054) 823-3410
The courses available here are a full-time six-month basic education course, followed by three months of intensive education and three months' internship.

•Korea Wood Construction Occupational Training College
http://builder.kr | (063) 642-9922
This school in Imsil, Jeollabukdo Province, offers full-time three-month courses in traditional hanok, timber frame, and log construction, as well as somok and environmentally-friendly house construction.

•Hwacheon Hanok School
www.hanokschool.co.kr | (033) 442-3366
Located in the mountains of Gangwondo Province, this school also offers basic (six months) and intensive (three-months; comes after completion of basic) courses in hanok building, as well as a 15-week weekend wood-framed earth house building course.

•Korea House Traditional
www.hanok.co.kr | (033) 333-3883
Also in Gangwondo Province, this school offers a full-time four-month course hanok building course.

•Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (KNUCH)
http://nuch.ac.kr | (041) 830-7114
Unlike the other schools above, this institution offers full, four-year courses in traditional subjects like architecture, landscaping and more.

These generally short courses (with the exception of those operated by KNUCH) should be regarded as basic introductions to a profession that is mastered mostly through professional experience: if you are serious about becoming a hanok builder, it is advisable to start working on hanok building sites soon after completing a course. All of the above courses are run in Korean, not English.