Heating up winter on Korea's ondol floors
A smoky alley in Seoul in 1912 Robert Neff CollectionBy Robert NeffIn the late 19th century, it wasn't uncommon for Seoul to be shrouded in smoke from the thousands and thousands of short chimneys that lined the streets. These chimneys were part of the ondol floor heating system. Horace Allen, an American missionary and later diplomat, spent two decades (1884-1904) in Korea and wrote several books about his experiences. He described ondol heating as:“[A] system of flues is built leading from a fireplace (which fireplace also forms the kitchen in a small house) under the floor to a chimney which may be some feet from the building. Over these flues is laid a floor of flat limestone which is neatly cemented and finally covered with the thick rich oil paper of the country, thus making a tight floor through which the smoke is prevented from escaping into the white papered rooms.” Percival Lowell, another American, spent the winter of 1883/84 in Seoul, and was fascinated by everything around him ― including Korean homes. He noted the ondol fireplace was referred to
