Hanok Living, Old & New
By Kim Ji-soo, Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporters
As a child growing up in 1970s Seoul, the hanok was not an unfamiliar place, although the shift toward Western-style houses was undeniable. One remembers big cement-floored gardens where moms would make"kimjang" (or making kimchi) together in a hearty atmosphere. But it was a bit cumbersome not being able to rush out the door to play, because of the elevated thresholds of the front gates. Also, living in a Western-style home made one feel like a bona-fide member of the upwardly mobile class.
But some three decades and plus years later, the hanok has come back, as the gray and sterile buildings in the city have begun to overwhelm.
These hanoks are no longer mere residences, they are a Hotel in Gyeongju, the Hyewha-dong Office, dental clinic, barber shops, restaurants and teahouses.
In his book titled ``Hanok Has Come Back,'' architect Hwang Doo-jin notes that there were 1,518 hanok units in 1985, but as of 2006, the number dropped to 924. The Seoul government, desperate to save probably the last cluster of hanok in Seoul, s
Dec 27, 2007