Hanok ·
Korean house ·
Hanok, Traditional Korean House
Hanok refers to houses built in the traditional Korean style. While tile-roofed and thatch-roofed hanoks were equally common, the former were typically noblemen residences while the latter were mostly houses of the commoners in the past. These days, most traditional hanok that are still used for housing have modern facilities installed within.
The history of the term “hanok” is not as long as is generally assumed as it was only coined after the arrival of the first western-style buildings in Korea around the end of the nineteenth century for the purpose of comparison between the two architectural heritages. It had not been necessary to use the term because almost all the houses built before the arrival of the Western-style buildings were “Korean houses”. It is generally agreed that the word was first used to refer to the traditional tile-roofed houses remaining in the area around present-day Jeongdong-gil together with newly erected Western buildings.
Hanok, Traditional Korean House
It was only as late as 1975, however, that the word entered the Korean dictionary with the definition, “A term used to refer to houses built in the traditional Korean architectural style in comparison with Western-style buildings.” (Samsung saeurimal keunsajeon, Samsung Publishing Company, 1975) The word was made by combining two Chinese characters, han (韓, meaning “the Korean people”) and ok (屋, meaning “house”), and accordingly, it is understood as the “house of Korea” or “house of Korean people.” While some argue that the use of the character han referred only to the short-lived Korean Empire (Daehanjeguk, 1897-1910), many believe that it was used to mean the entire Korean people or their land, rather than any specific state or dynasty, judging by the fact that it continued to be used even after the fall of the empire. Meanwhile, the character ok refers not only to dwelling houses but to buildings in general.
Hanok, Traditional Korean House
The word hanok, in fact, encompasses a variety of traditional Korean buildings which come in a great diversity of shapes and layouts according to the region and period, and many of whose origins are not clearly documented. The hanok has undergone numerous changes throughout its history, some significant, others not, and has continued to evolve as a result of outside cultural influences. Historians have presented widely different views about the origins and development of hanok, making it difficult to elaborate a simple, clear-cut definition.
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There are two main charms to hanoks. The first is the unique heating system of ondol. A layer of stone is laid down below the flooring and when heated, the heat spreads up into every room of the house, keeping both the floor and the air surprisingly warm in winter.
Hanok, Traditional Korean House
The second attractive point to hanok houses is that they are environmentally friendly. The materials needed to build a hanok house are free from chemicals, making it a healthy environment. The pillars, rafters, doors, window frames, and floor are wooden, while the walls are a mixture of straw and dirt. The paper to cover the frames of doors and windows was made from tree pulp. As the building materials used are all natural, hanok houses have excellent breathability, perfect for escaping the summer heat.
Hanok, Traditional Korean House
