2/16/2024

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3

ARCHITECTURE IN

KOREA
Prepared by:
AR. ROY JOHN DE GUZMAN

• Its citizens enjoy the world's fastest

Internet connection speeds and the
longest years of tertiary education
in the world.

• Since the 21st century, South Korea

has been renowned for its globally
influential pop culture such as K-
pop and TV dramas, a
phenomenon referred to as the
Korean Wave.

1 2

• Peninsula in East Asia BOUNDARIES:

• Around 1,030 km (612 miles) long and 175 km (105 miles) wide
at its narrowest point. • China - north and west

• Sea of Japan (East Sea) -

east

• East China Sea - south

PYONGYANG O

• Yellow Sea - west, the

Korea Strait connecting
the first two bodies of
water

• Separated from Japan to

the east by the Korea
http://www.hendrick-hamel.henny-savenije.pe.kr/maps.htm Strait.

3 4

Two major branches of the river,

the NAMHAN RIVER and the
BUKHAN RIVER, come together at
Yangsu-ri, Gyeonggi-do province
• Mainly mountainous along its at the HAN RIVER.

east coast, so most of its river HAN RIVER:

water flows west, emptying • Passes through Seoul and

continues on to the Yellow Sea
into the Yellow Sea.
• Meets the sea along the Korean
Demilitarized Zone that divides
• Majority of ridge lines run in a South and North Korea.
north-south direction, severely
restricting east-west
movement.
www.globalsecurity.org/.../dprk/terrain.htm

• 20 % of the total land area

consists of plains and
lowlands.

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Ancient Kingdoms
which dominated the
Korean Peninsula and
parts of Manchuria
1. Goguryeo
2. Baekje

KINGDOMS 3. Silla

4. United Korea 13th

century Joeson

Beginnings of the North and

South States
1. Unified Silla - South
2. Balhae - North

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Three_Kingdoms_of_Korea_Map.png

7 8

• Derived from the GORYEO period of Korean history, which in

turn referred to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo.
• CAULI – name given by Merchants of the Middle East (from
the Chinese pronunciation), which then came to be spelled
COREA and KOREA.

• Referred to as:
• "Rivers and Mountains Embroidered on Silk"
• "Eastern Nation of Decorum”
• In 845, Arab traders wrote, "Beyond China is a land where gold
abounds and which is named SILLA.”

NAMES GIVEN TO KOREA

9 10

• HAN-GUK in South Korea

• CHOSŎN in North Korea

• From the Joseon Dynasty and the earlier

Gojoseon.
PROVINCES
• "The Land of the Morning Calm" - English
nickname loosely derived from the hanja
characters for Joseon.

NAMES GIVEN TO KOREA

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SOUTH KOREA Busan

• Consists of nine provinces; the capital Seoul; and the six
metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju,
Daejeon and Ulsan. In total, there are 77 cities and 88
counties.

Daegu

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelgallagher/4646073756 http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhfoto/7602638850/

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Incheon Daejeon

Gwangju Ulsan

15 16

Seoul

CLIMATE

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CLIMATE
• Four distinct seasons:

• Spring - late March to May.

Warm

• Summer - June to
September. Hot and humid
early
RELIGION
• Autumn - September to
November

• Winter - December to mid-

March. Cold during this time due
to the influx of cold Siberian air.
Heavy snow in the northern and
eastern parts of Korea.

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RELIGION

http://asiasociety.org/countries/religions-philosophies/korean-belief-systems

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesyeuxheureux/galleries/72157625836726257/ • BUDDHISM and CONFUCIANISM

remained the most prominent
religion and philosophy from the
CUISINE
Three Kingdom period (57 BC - 688
AD) until the late 18th c.

• SHAMANISM

35% Buddhism
35% Christianity - 2nd largest Christian country in
Asia next to the Philippines introduced by the
missionaries in the late 18th c.

http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-146200/A-musician-plays-an-ajaeng-a-type-of-bowed-
zither

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KOREAN CUISINE

• Noodles represent
long life and good
fortune in Korea,
always served at
weddings and
important birthdays.

Typical Korean meal consists of three or more side dishes called “banchan”,
http://www.featsoffeasts.com/korean-mania-visual-gastronomy-dae-jang-geum-jewel-of-the-palace/
rice (“bap”) and soup (“guk”) or stew (“chigae”). “Banchan” or side dishes
may be any of the following: “namul” or vegetables, meat or fish simmered in
• Meals are regulated by Korean sauce (“jjim” or “jorim”), broiled or barbecued dishes (“gui”), pan-fried dishes
cultural etiquette. (“jeon”).. Desserts are served along with the main meal

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38th parallel

38th parallel

http://news.mofat.go.kr/enewspaper/articleview.php?master=&aid=1340&ssid=27&mvid=576

NORTH SOUTH
Communist North Korea Democratic Republic of Korea
187 types of KIMCHI. Common ingredients are sesame oil, fermented
bean paste, soya sauce, garlic, ginger, pepper flake and fermented red
chili paste or gochujang.

25 26

BUT IN 2018

An almost cause for a nuclear release was

The division of North Korea and South Korea was brought about by the 1945 Allied victory
in World War II, ending Japan's 35-year colonial rule of Korea. In a proposal opposed by nearly
because South Korea repeatedly played a
all Koreans, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily occupy the country kpop sensation song GEE on the base camp
as a trusteeship with the zone of control demarcated along the 38th parallel.
UNIFICATION was the solution for it to stop

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I. ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE
(PALEOLITHIC–7 TH C.)

ARCHITECTURAL Amsa-Dong Prehistoric Settlement Site

PERIODS Kiln for pottery in Yangdong village, Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-

do, Korea

• First inhabitants used caves, rock shelters, and portable shelters.

• Remains of a portable shelter dating to c. 30,000 BC were excavated at the
Seokjang-ri site in South Chungcheong Province.

• PIT-HOUSE architecture are from the Jeulmun Pottery Period

• Early pit-houses contained basic features such as hearths, storage pits, and
space for working and sleeping.

• Mumun period buildings with walls of wattle-and-daub and thatched roofs.

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Korea is home to over 30,000 dolmens, with

three of its dolmen sites - Gochang, Hwasun,
and Ganghwa, listed as UNESCO World Proto–Three Kingdoms Period (circa 1st-2nd c. BCE to 3rd-4th c.
Cultural Heritage sites.
CE)
MEGALITHS
Dolmens are the main example of • RAISED-FLOOR HOUSES - first
mortuary architecture in the Mumun appeared in the in the
Pottery Period (1500-300 BC). Middle Mumun, c. 850-550
BC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korea-Gwangju
Gochang_Dolmens_Gochang_Dolmens_5325-06.JPG
• Ondol - the Korean floor
Gochang Jungnim-ri Dolmens in Maesan village,
Gochang County, North Jeolla province
panel heating system, was
found in the architectural
remains of early Proto-
historic.

http://www.easyvoyage.co.uk/south-korea/the-dolmen-sites-5452

Three types of megaliths:

1. Southern type - low and often a simple slab
with supporting stones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:House-Shaped_Pottery.jpg

2. Northern type - larger and shaped much

like a table Pottery shaped in the form of a house from Gaya
3. Capstone type, which has a capstone with
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korea-Gwangju-Gochang_Dolmens_5350-06.JPG
no supporting stones.
Gwangju-Gochang Dolmens

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• 109 BCE - Chinese created an architectural basis for the

development of state-level society.
• Official buildings were built of wood and brick and roofed
with tiles having the features of Chinese construction.

• Three Kingdoms of Korea:

www2.ald.net/~roden/korea/album/ondol.htm
1. GOGURYEO - largest of
the 3 kingdoms, renowned
for its mountain fortresses
www2.ald.net/~roden/korea/album/ondol.htm
built horizontally and
vertically along the slopes.
• ONDOL means "warm
stone"
• GOGURYEO FORTRESSES
• Flooring is usually made (BAEKAM FORTRESS) -
of granite blocks, about 5 constructed before 6th c. in
cm thick, supported by present-day South-West
columns of brick or stone. Manchuria.

www2.ald.net/~roden/korea/album/ondol.htm
FORTRESS ARCHITECTURE

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Three Kingdoms Period mortuary architecture was 2. BAEKJE - founded in 18 BC established friendships
monumental in scale. with China and Japan.
• GOGURYEO two different types of mortuary
• Great temples were built during this time.
architecture evolved during this period:
• MIREUKSA TEMPLE, IKSAN - largest and
earliest stone pagoda shows the transitional
• Large earth mound form features from a wooden pagoda to a stone
• Stepped pyramid made of stone one.
• Assimilated diverse influences and
expressed its derivation from Chinese
models.
• Later, important elements of the
architectural style of Baekje were adopted
by Japan.

www.ianandwendy.com/travel/korea/tumuli-park

Tomb of a Goguryeo military general, Jian, China Cheonmachong, Gyeongiu built for the Shilla http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7304888

monarchs in the 5th c.AD.

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3. SILLA - last of the three kingdoms to develop into a

full-fledged kingdom. • Built during the reign of
Queen Seondeok (632-646).
• Buddhist temples were
built. • Astronomical observatory
“Star-Gazing Tower”

• CHEOMSEONGDAE - • Considered as the oldest

one of the well known surviving observatories in East
examples of Sillan Asia and one of the oldest
architecture, said to scientific installations on Earth.
be the first stone
• Built out of 362 pieces of cut
observatory in Asia.
granite which some claim
represent the days of the
lunar year.
• Tower is 5.7 m. wide at the
base and 9.4 m. tall, and filled
with earth up to the level of
CHEOMSEONGDAE the window.
Gyeongju, South Korea
Unjusa Temple

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Hwangnyongsa
• 6th c., the center of state-
Gyeongju, South Korea
United Silla Architecture (7th–10th c.) sponsored Buddhism..
• "Golden/Yellow Dragon
Temple" or "Emperor/Imperial
King Kyungsoon
Dragon Temple.“
• King Jinheung originally
intended for the temple to be
• Absorbed the culture of the T'ang dynasty in China, and at the same time the site of a new palace but
developed a unique cultural identity. when a dragon was seen on
the proposed site, a temple
• New Buddhist sects were introduced from the T'ang and Buddhist art was commissioned instead
flourished.
• Designed to be a place where
• Period of peace and cultural advancement in all fields of the arts. monks prayed for the welfare
• Architecture flourished in the royal capital of Gyeongju, but almost all traces of the nation by asking for the
of the former glory have vanished at the present time. divine protection of the
Buddha and a means to
• Urban area of the city was developed and expanded in three stages. impress foreign dignitaries.
• Hwangnyongsa Temple
• Region was developed into the grid network of road patterns with wide A miniature reconstruction of what the main pagoda may
streets. have once looked like.

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Buddhist Temples:

• Characterized by two pagodas in front of the central

main hall in a symmetrical layout on the north-south
axis with other buildings.

• BULGUKSA (PULGUKSA) TEMPLE - built on a stone

platform at the foothill of Mt. Toham near Gyeongju, is
the oldest existing temple in Korea. The temple was first
founded early in the sixth century and was entirely
rebuilt and enlarged in 752.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulguksa

Bulguksa (Pulguksa) Temple, North Gyeongsang

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• Home to seven
National treasures of
South Korea,
including:
• Dabotap stone
pagoda
• Seokgatap
stone pagodas
• Cheongun-gyo
(Blue Cloud
Bridge)
• Two gilt-bronze
statues of Dabotap Seokgatap
Buddha.

budda.kr/english%20home/bulguksa.htm

Bulguksa Temple, North Gyeongsang

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Daeungjeon (Hall of Great Enlightenment)

• Hermitage and part of the
Bulguksa temple complex.
• Lies four km. east of the
temple on Mt. Tohamsan.
• Overlooks the Sea of Japan
(East Sea) and rests 750 m.
above sea level.
• Designated the 24th national
treasure of Korea and
UNESCO World Heritage Lists

Map of the main complex • Began in 742 and built by

Gim Daeseong and originally
• Main hall called Seokbulsa (Stone
Buddha Temple).
• Dabotap and Seokgatap stand before this hall.
• The hall enshrines the Sakyamuni Buddha and was built in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seokguram

681 CE.
Seokguram (Sokkuram) Grotto
• Behind the main hall stands Museoljeon, the Hall of No
Words.

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• Cave shrine/temple - artificially

and skilfully constructed with
360 granite blocks, covered • Illustrates the organic and
with an earth mound on top to harmonious relationship between
give the appearance of a the part and whole by means of
natural landscape. geometrical proportion.
• Main rotunda symbolizes heaven
(truth) and the antechamber
represents the earth (worldly
existence) , both contained
within one large circle. (Buddhist
philosophy that truth and worldly
budda.kr/english%20home/bulguksa.htm

o Shrine - rectangular anteroom lined with large stone life are ultimately part of the
slabs carved with the figures of the protectors of same realm.
Buddhism on each side of the walls and at the entrance
passageway to the main chamber.
o Circular main chamber covered by a dome ceiling and
surrounded by carved stone wall panels depicting
bodhisattvas and the ten disciples.
o Statue of Buddha on a lotus pedestal in the center is the
dominant feature of the chamber.

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• Embodies the perfect and ideal harmony of peace, art and

Sectional image of the Sokkuram Grotto displayed in the Silla Museum and Science in Kyongju
religion in a single entity.
• Named as “The Parthenon of the East,” “the most exemplary • Stone rivets provide perfect structural balance and as a result
classical work of the Orient,” and “An eternal masterpiece” the domed ceiling can support the weight of the enormous
stone panels without the use of an adhesive agent.

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• Wall surrounding the

centre of Suwon, the
provincial capital of
Gyeonggi-do, South
Korea,
• Built in the late 18th c. by
King Jeongjo to honour
and house the remains of
his father Prince Sado,
who had been murdered
by being locked alive
inside a rice chest by his
own father King Yeongjo
having failed to obey his
command to commit
suicide.

Hwaseong (Brilliant Fortress)

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• Inter-columnar bracket set

system - used in building the
most important edifice on the
premises.
• Columnar bracket set
system and the eclectic
bracket system, which
consists of architectural
elements from both
columnar and
intercolumnar systems,
were also used for temples
and other important
buildings.

DongbukGakru in Hwaseong Fortress

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Interiorof ceiling of Geunjeongjeon Hall

Seven clawed dragons on the

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seoul_Gyeongb .. Geunjeongjeon Hall ceiling of Geunjeongjeon Hall

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www.dreamstime.com

TRADITIONAL KOREAN
DECORATION DETAILS
http://www.hancinema.net/more-expats-living-in-traditional-hanok-homes-in-seoul--40960.html yaymicro.com/stock-image

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ROYAL CEILING, TRADITIONAL KOREAN DETAILS

craigphoto.wordpress.com
Roof, OREAN FIRENDSHIP BELL
California
TRADITIONAL KOREAN DECORATION DETAIL
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/file:Korean_roya_architecture_ceiling.jpg

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TRADITIONAL KOREAN
DECORATION DETAIL

V. Japanese Occupation Architecture (1910-1945)

• Systematic attempt by the Empire of Japan

to destroy native Korean architecture and
replace it with Japanese architecture.
• One of the ways in which the Korean people
resisted the Japanese authorities was to
build traditional Korean homes.
• Houses in Jeonju Hanok Village were
erected as a statement of national pride.
www.flicker.com/photo/1326848@noo/446462029

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Jeonju Hanok Village

seeyainkorea.blogspot.com

• Curved roof edges

Jeonju Hanok Village
• All the houses are heated with the ondol system, a unique sub-
flooring heating system. Since Koreans enjoy sitting, eating, and
sleping on the floor, it needs to remain heated.
• Generally divided into two sections, because men and women have
to remain separate.
1. Anchae known as Gyusu room - situated deep inside the house
so that it is secretive and quiet.
2. Sarangchae referred to a Seonbi room - where the men dwell.

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ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER:
1. Korean architects took full notice of the surrounding terrain
in their effort to create perfect harmony with nature.

• No building was designed or constructed to manifest a

confrontation or challenge of human works against the natural

ARCHITECTURAL
environment.
• In design and in engineering, artificial innovations or elements
were kept subdued, in favor of highlighting the beauty of nature as

CHARACTER
it is.
• Attention was paid to keep natural elements intact in the use of
building materials,

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2. Reflected the human scale, imparting a feeling of intimacy

to viewers. 3. Create visual elegance in external forms several design skills were
• Few traditional Korean buildings are grand in size. They give an contrived.
impression of coziness and tidiness, and are from being
• Middle portion of columns were shaped convex swelling- ENTASIS
overpowering or imposing.
• Columns on the periphery were slanted slightly inward, while the top of
• Korean artisans relied more on the working of nature than on
corner posts were extended slightly higher in relation to the others.
their own craft, exerting their personal ingenuity or wisdom less,
thus providing greater room for their instincts to operate. • Evoke a feeling of stability and to achieve aesthetic harmony with the
delicate and elegant shape of the roof and the eave lines in the
• Korean architecture reflects less of human calculation or craft
appearance of the building.
than of liberal and carefree simplicity.

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5. Korean traditional architecture can be aesthetically

characterized by moderate elegance in decoration and
humble openness in architectural design.
• Moderate use of color might have been derived from the
country's serene landscape.
• Humble openness in design may have grown from the tendency
of Korean people to adapt themselves to nature.

4. Variety of decorations and COLOR were also used in Korean

traditional architecture.
• China - decorations tended to be extremely elaborate, sometimes to the
extent of superfluity.
• Japanese - decorations are more simple and delightful.
• Korea - Decorations might be found in between the two, maintaining the
beauty of moderation in the use of color and architectural decoration.

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THE SOUTH KOREAN PAVILLION

5. Korean traditional architecture can be aesthetically

characterized by moderate elegance in decoration and
humble openness in architectural design.
• Chinese - were excessively preoccupied with strict symmetry.
• Japanese - were extremely concerned with the miniature.
• Korean - tended to give a more comprehensive effort to maintain
order and harmony with nature.
• Manifested both inside and outside architectural space, which led
to its humble openness..

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South Korea
Pavillion

Han-geul, the Korean

alphabet, is the prime
element of 'signs' within
the pavilion. Created by
Design Concept: converging these Han-
geul letters, allowing signs
With land culture (China) and sea culture (Japan) surrounding the to create the exhibition
peninsula, Korea has been permeable to imported cultures and global space, and so that the
influences, whose progressive mix defines contemporary Korean society. visitors can experience
Using 'convergence' as the main theme, with the amalgamation of 'sign'
their geometry through
(symbol) and 'space':
horizontal, vertical and
diagonal movements.
Signs become spaces, and simultaneously, spaces become
signs

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Sign as Space + Space as Sign =

Architecture as Art

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SOME
KOREAN TEMPLES NAKSAN TEMPLE is a Korean Buddhist
temple complex in the Jogye order of
MIREUKSA - The ancient kingdom of
Baekje in the Korean Peninsula. The
temple was established in 602 by King
Korean Buddhism that stands on the
Mu and is located 36.012083 N,
slopes of Naksan Mountain (also called
127.031028 E, modern Iksan, North Jeolla
"Obongsan Mountain"). It is located
Province, South Korea. The site was
about midway between Sokcho and
excavated in 1980, disclosing many
Yangyang, Gangwon Province,
hitherto unknown facts about Baekje
eastern region of South Korea.
architecture. Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda is
Naksansa is one of the few temples in
one of two extant Baekje pagodas. It is
Korea to overlook the East Sea.
also the largest as well as being among
the oldest of all Korean pagodas.

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Jogyesa is the chief temple of the

Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism,
becoming so in 1936. It thus plays a
leading role in the current state of Hwaeomsa ( literally "Flower
Hwangnyongsa, or Hwangnyong Magoksa is a head temple of the
Seon Buddhism in South Korea. The Garland Temple") is a head
Temple (also spelled Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in
temple was first established in 1395, at temple of the Jogye Order of
Hwangryongsa) is the name of a Gongju, South Korea. It is located
the dawn of the Joseon Dynasty; the Korean Buddhism. It is located on
former Buddhist temple in the city on the eastern slope of Taehwasan,
modern temple was founded in 1910 the slopes of Jirisan, in Masan-
of Gyeongju, South Korea. on taegeuk-shaped bend in the
and initially called "Gakhwangsa". The myeon, Gurye County, in the
Completed in the 7th century, the Taegeukcheon Stream.
name was changed to "Taegosa" province of South Jeolla Province,
enormous 9-story structure was
during the period of Japanese rule, South Korea.
built entirely with wood with
and then to the present name in
interlocking design with no iron
1954.
nails.

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References:

De la Croix, Horst and Richard Tansey. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. Ancient, Medieval
and Non-European Art. 7th ed. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. USA. 1976.

Goepper, Roger. Landmarks of the World’s Art. The Oriental World. Mc. Graw-Hill Book
Company, New Yorkl – Toronto. 1967. 감사합니다
Harris, Cyril M. Historic Architecture Sourcebook. Mac Graw Hil, Inc. USA.1977.
(kamsahamnida)
Palmes, J.C. Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture. 18th ed.The Athlone Press,
University of London. London

Pratt, Keith, Richard Rutt and James Hoare. Korea. A Historical and Cultural Dictionary.
Thank You
1999

Other Sources:

Pictures and data from Internet Sources

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