Experience traditional culture in Namsangol Hanok Village

THE ORIGINAL ESSAY

The Hanok Village of Namsangol is situated unexpectedly close to the crowded, noisy street of Chungmuro. A short walk from Chungmuro Station will bring you to the quiet entrance of a cozy village of Hanok, formed in April 1998 when five traditional houses belonging to various social ranks and previously dispersed across Seoul were moved to Namsangol in the foothills of Namsan Mountain.

With the houses assembled in one site, the village soon emerged as a new tourist attraction in Seoul. The restored hanok vividly testify to the uniqueness of traditional Korean architecture, differentiating it from that of China or Japan, and thereby attracting not only foreigners but Koreans as well. The various shapes, compositions, and other characteristics of hanok can be discovered here, providing an excellent way to experience traditional Korean architecture.

The village also hosts a variety of special events. Every weekend and during Korea’s national holidays such as Lunar New Year’s Day, Jeongwoldaeboreum (the first full moon of the year), and the Chuseok harvest moon festival, there are various traditional events including performances of Korean classical music, masked dance, and games of yut, a traditional Korean stick game. Such recreational activities keep visitors entertained while providing a firsthand look at traditional Korean lifestyle.

Photo ops abound in the village. Every Friday and Saturday, the house of Park Yeonghyo, a nobleman and son-in-law of King Cheoljiong of Joseon, offers you an opportunity to dress in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, and have a photo taken. Bring your own your camera to take photos of a traditional marriage ceremony, the pavilion and houses against the backdrop of the pond, and Time Capsule Square where a capsule was buried in 1994, the 600 year anniversary of the founding of Seoul, to be unearthed in another 400 years.

To foreign travelers, the structure of hanok, which includes many empty spaces or open courtyards, may appear inefficient. However, as with Oriental paintings, which also contain many empty spaces, the substance of rooms is complemented by the open spaces. Understanding the beauty of ‘emptiness’ is a big step toward the understanding of Korean beauty.

From Peter’s supplied Seoul guidebook introduction, chapter 3. Original observations and historical framing are retained. PDF line-break and spacing repairs are recorded separately from factual updates. Guidebook photography and venue directories are not republished.