Abstract
In the early 1920s, the first generation of Korean architects educated under the Japanese Government- General of Korea, emerged in the Korean colonial space. One of these architects, Kil-Ryong Park (1898- 1943), being influenced by the theory of architectural evolutionism prevalent among contemporary Japanese architects residing in Korea as well as the environmental-determinism-influenced Japanese understanding of the development of Korean minka (vernacular housing), focused his attention on traditional Korean housing from the early 1920s. The paper analyzes how he came up with his own perspective on Korean housing reformation, which was strongly influenced by his experiential knowledge of Korean living customs and their regional characteristics, such as the effects of climate and natural environments. Following the Romantic sense of modernity, described by Octavio Paz as "a tradition against itself" (Paz, 1974) , the paper illustrates an alternative way to understand Korean architectural modernity during the colonial period, an understanding that differs from the current stylistic discussions on the subject. Keywords: Korean housing; Kil-Ryong Park; evolutionism; environmental-determinism; architectural modernity 1. Introduction: Environmental Determinism in Joseon Kenchiku-Kai (Korean Architectural Association) In the first years of the 1920s, social campaigns encouraging "cultural" ways of living and dwelling had appeared in earnest and they rapidly spread across the entire Korean colonial space via newly introduced public media such as the newspapers and magazines that started to circulate in the more or less liberal and capitalistic social atmosphere. At the same time, serious architectural efforts to improve Korean housing conditions in scientific (e.g. hygienic and healthy) and utilitarian (e.g. functional and economical) ways were instigated not only by the Japanese Government- General of Korea, but also by various private agencies. Fig.1. A Commemorative Photograph Showing the Founding of The first architectural association in Korea, Joseon Joseon Kenchiku-Kai (Joseon to Kenchiku, 1922) Kenchiku-Kai, which was established by Japanese architects residing in Korea with the full support of the Originally, Joseon Kenchiku-Kai was established Japanese Government-General of Korea and the Nihon with the specific purpose of serving the growing Kenchiku-Kai (Association of Japanese architects) number of Japanese residents in Korea in the in January 1922, also took part in this collective early 1920s to supply their increasing demand for endeavor to reform Korean housing. (Fig.1.) Japanese-style housing. However, seeing how ill- suited Japanese housing was to the Korean natural environment and the emerging practical problems, the Japanese architects of Joseon Kenchiku-Kai undertook comprehensive architectural research on *Contact Author: Yoonchun Jung, Ph.D. Korean minka to find architectural solutions. In this School of Architecture, McGill University, process, they became interested in reforming what they Macdonald Harrington Building, 815 Sherbrooke Street West, termed "underdeveloped" Korean housing to serve the Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C2, Canada contemporary Japanese ways of living and dwelling. E-mail: yoonchunjung@gmail.com ( Received April 4, 2014 ; accepted February 13, 2015) Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering/May 2015/262 255 However, it is important to acknowledge here without changes dies. We don't know if they [people's that t he architects of Joseon Kenchiku-Kai also lives and architecture] improve or degenerate, but they came up with architectural suggestions for (future) change." developments for Korean housing based on the idea While expressing his nationalistic ideas regarding of harmonizing it with Korean climatic and natural the uniqueness of (Japanese) architecture, Ito also characteristics. This is clearly shown in an editorial advocated tailoring architecture to the geography and published in the first volume of Joseon to Kenchiku, the history rooted in the land it is built on. In a 1927 published on June 25, 1922. It said: article titled "Nanzan-sou yobanashi" published in "Given the current trends of civilized urban Joseon to Kenchiku, he said: developments, it is necessary to encourage housing "Normally, architecture, and more inclusively food, adapted to Korean climatic and natural characteristics clothing and shelter, reflect national characteristics as well as contemporary cultural ways of living, and w hich are s haped by geography and his tory. this will guarantee the healthy development of Korean Architecture is infused with national characteristics. architecture. For the purpose of promoting a social For this reason, foreign national characteristics and atmosphere to achieve this goal, Joseon Kenchiku-Kai Japanese ones are fundamentally different from each [the Korean architectural association] was established other because of their different geography and history, by uniting the architectural technicians residing in and there is no way to make them compatible. It is a Korea last spring…" waste of time to imitate foreign architecture (…) If These sentiments are similar to those of Shozaburo architecture is a form of art, there is no global and Iwai, a chief architect of the Japanese Government- international architecture. Recently, some people have General of Korea. In 1924, as the vice-president of argued that it is necessary to produce international Joseon Kenchiku-Kai, Iwai contributed an article to architecture common to every country, but I think Joseon to Kenchiku entitled "Zaisen naichi-jin no that this is like building a castle in the air. There kenchikuyoushiki ha amarini kikou fuudo ni mukanshin is no architecture common to Eskimos, Africans, da" ("The architecture built for the Japanese residents Japanese and Westerners. Architecture can never be in Korea has nothing to do with Korean climatic and internationalized." natural characteristics"). In the article, he said: This paper analyzes in detail how one of the first "As the new-year begins, I feel more pressure generation Korean architects, Kil-Ryong Park, took than before. I am eager to come up with architectural advantage of Yoshiyuki Iwatsuki (?-1931)'s knowledge solutions that best fit the Korean climatic and natural of Korean minka (and thereby absorbing the influence c o n d i t i o n s a s we l l a s t h e e c o n o m i c p o we r o f t h e of environmental determinism present in Iwatsuki's Korean people as early as possible. Everyone talks ideas). At the same time, it examines how Park sought about and studies the matter, but we haven't reached a to further develop Korean housing with his own unique conclusive idea. This task must be done anyway and idea of making "Korean housing…a vessel [to contain] we who are involved in the field of architecture should people's "contemporary" lives." put more effort into it." Previous studies on Park focused only on how he Judging from the above, it is fair to say that the reformed Korean traditional housing by improving environmental determinism approach to (housing) the inefficient and irrational aspects of it with newly a r c hi t e c t u r e wa s wi d e l y su b sc ri b e d t o b y t h e i nt roduc e d sc i e nt i fi c a nd ut i l i t a ri a n knowl e dge . contemporary Japanese architects residing in Korea. Recently, Myung-Sun Kim and Jung-Woo Lee briefly Furthermore, they also understood how architectural mentioned Park's contribution to Iwatsuki's research developments were spurred by changes in people's without analyzing the knowledge produced in their lives and social customs over time. Chuta Ito (1867- collaborative efforts in depth. As informed by the 1954), who had served as an advisory committee hermeneutic and phenomenological research method, member along with Tadashi Sekino (1868-1935) from the author focuses on the journal articles published by the early years of Joseon Kenchiku-Kai, talked about Iwatsuki and Park in Joseon to Kenchiku and Joseon the intimate relationship between architecture and published during the 1920s. people's lives by combining it with his famous theory on architectural evolution In a 1926 article titled "Jinja 2. Kil-Ryong Park's Ideas on the Development of kenchiku ni taisuru kosatsu" ("Considerations on shinto Korean minka shrine architecture") published in Joseon to Kenchiku, Being one of the first few Korean graduates from the he said: Gyeongseong (now Seoul) Higher Technical School, "As I mentioned earlier, housing architecture and Kil-Ryong Park started working as an architectural public architecture always change over time. They technician for the Japanese Government-General have to change because people live in them. So, on of Korea in 1919. In its discriminatory working the one hand, there is a story of people's changing environment, where only a small number of Koreans l i ve s; on t he ot he r ha nd, t he re i s a not h e r of t h e could serve for minor positions such as architectural architecture influenced by them. Any architecture assistants or draft-men without the opportunity for 256 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung 14 promotion, Park stayed with them; during his 15 different provinces look stylistically and structurally years of service, he was involved in many major similar to each other [at a glance]. However, even if architectural projects such as the Government-General one region of Korea resembles another, there exist building (completed in 1926), and even had a chance to temperature differences among them because of their design the Korean-style pavilions built for the Joseon distinct latitudinal locations. These climatic differences Exhibition of 1929. have generated various different styles of Korean In 1934, Park opened his own office in Gyeongseong minka (…) Since housing is a vessel containing and started to work vigorously not only on many kinds people's lives, we can easily picture the latter by of privately commissioned architectural projects, but looking at the former. In other words, it is not difficult also on Korean housing research that he had put a to imagine people's living conditions by looking at great amount of effort into since his early years at the their housing. Moreover, housing clearly reflects the Japanese Government-General of Korea. From the degrees of people's wealth as well as their hobbies." early 1920s, he began studying Korean minka seriously In the same article, Iwatsuki categorized Korean and looked for ways to develop it, while also privately minka into five different regional types: central, working on small housing projects on the side. western, southern, northern and Gyeongseong. (He Park's research on Korean minka was first actualized later focused more on the central and Gyeongseong through a collaborative study with Yoshiyuki regions .) M ore detailed des criptions of the Iwatsuki, an architectural engineer from the Japanese development of Korean minka in relation to climatic Government-General of Korea, that commenced and regional factors are found in the same article: in 1923. Although there is no written record left of "As I wrote previously, housing is heavily influenced the details of their collaboration, it is clear that Park by the natural characteristics of the region it is built played a major role in the partnership and produced in…[primarily] the climate. Unlike the openness of all the analytical sketches and texts of Korean minka Japanese housing, which suits hot summer weather, after traveling to different Korean provinces in person. the closeness of Korean housing is designed to be Iwatsuki mentioned Park's contributions to the research comfortable in cold winters. The most conspicuous at the beginning of the article. feature of Korean housing is that it is planned to Park's ideas on the developments of Korean minka prevent cold air from entering. To achieve this, a can be glimpsed in the 1924 article "Joseon minka no surrounding clay wall, small windows and doors, ie-gamae ni tsuite" ("On Korean vernacular housing and low ceilings that barely accommodate people structures") published in Joseon to Kenchiku. Although are applied in house designs. And, for the sake of the article was published under Iwatsuki's name, it is efficient heating, small room size is used to maximum obvious that they shared common interests and ideas in a d v a nt a g e : i n st e a d o f h a v i n g se v e r a l b i g r o om s, their work together. Korean housing is composed of small rooms lined up "Since the beginnings of human history, the traces in rows (…) Compared to those found in the south, the of the development of man-made culture have been structure of Korean minka seen in the cold northern continuously left on housing surviving in every corner areas is very compact. In the case of the Korean minka of the land, from fertile fields to mountains and remote existing in the warm southern regions, the rooms are areas. Housing has a specific lifespan and it resembles arranged in rows and outdoor corridors are attached to people's lives. Normal minka, which are small and them…it is also very interesting to see the space called weak, are always destroyed and rebuilt in the fight daecheong used as a summer living room." against the power of repeating natural vehemence, Along with geographical characteristics, Korean a nd they e xpress na t ura l hum an i nst inc ts. In t he traditional social customs were also taken into middle of this process, along with the influences of consideration in analyzing the architectural conditions human culture and civilization, minka have gradually of Korean minka. Regarding the naebang (housewife's developed (…) Surely, like other kinds of human room) found in Korean minka, Iwatsuki said: culture and civilization, housing is influenced not only "…to name the Korean traditional housing conditions by geography, climate, materials - in other words, developed from habits and social conventions and natural conditions of the land - but also by ethnicity, systems, naebang must be addressed first. This ondol social situations, customs, religion, and even politics. [Korean traditional floor-heating system] room is used Shaped by these factors, it finally achieves unique as a living room for housewives and it is always found regional characteristics like a tree rooted in the ground. as a separate room in every Korean minka, even if, in In reality, Korean minka are well suited to their natural some cases, it is small and poor. Each minka has only conditions by creating harmony with them. From one naebang. Different from the idea of privacy in gentle foothills to the ends of vast fields as well as Japanese minka, that in Korean minka is maintained in between white willows, harmonious groupings of strictly through the naebang and no men except for the minka resembling thick-growing mushrooms can be head of the household can enter it." found. The curves of the thatched roofs and the slopes In analyzing the structure of Gyeongseong minka, of the hills mirror one another (…) Korean minka from Iwatsuki also said: JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung 257 "…by planning the inner court between the main geographical conditions, such as mountainous or gate and the sarang [guest room] as well as orienting plain areas; on the other hand, historically they have t he m a i n ga t e a nd t h e m i d dl e ga t e i n d i f fe r e n t also been developed by adapting to inherent regional directions, the house structure prevents outsiders from customs and lifestyles. So it can be seen that Korean looking into the inner court from the streets (…) The housing reflects various stylistic characteristics which sarang is an independent structure and it is totally have been shaped by different geographical and detached from the main house. Guests can enter the artificial environments between regions. " sarang and leave it without passing through the inner In the same year, he published another Korean article court. Even very close friends and acquaintances rarely entitled "Bugjoseonjibangjugaui ondol" ("Ondol in have a chance to see the inside of the house. In the case northern Korean housing") in Joseon. Here, Park took of middle- and lower-class Korean minka, sarang are advantage of his previous experience in researching not separately made and are placed next to the main Korean minka to explain the differences in ondol gate or built close to it, and incorporate ondol. Female structures developed in the southern and northern guests are not allowed to enter through the main gate Korean regions. He said: and male guests cannot enter the inner court." (Fig.2.) "The structural differences between the southern and northern ondol are the result of the different geographical and climatic influences imposed on them. In contrast to the climate of northern Korean regions, that of southern Korean areas is relatively warm and the amount of firewood produced in them is not plentiful, so they have developed an ondol system to temporarily heat only the rooms in use to reduce fuel consumption. Whereas the winter coldness of the northern Korean provinces is very severe and they have plentiful firewood, so they have developed a method to heat the rooms collectively by producing a great amount of smoke which heats the entire house all the time." (Fig.3.) Fig.2. Upper-Class minka from Gyeongseong (Park, 1923) In the course of his first study of Korean minka with Iwatsuki, Park came up with a number of ideas on how they developed, which had a bearing on the contemporary understanding of environmental Fig.3. Lower-Class minka from Namwon (Left) and Hamhung determinism prevalent among the Japanese architects (Right) (Park, 1928) residing in Korea. Moreover, he embraced the idea that "housing (architecture) is a vessel containing 3. Park's Assessment of Korean minka and His people's lives" and made it his professional motto Ideas for its Architectural Reformations for reforming and designing architecture. After his Fundamentally influenced by the contemporary research collaboration with Iwatsuki concluded, Park Japanese understanding of (housing) architecture as an continued to delve into Korean traditional housing historical entity (in the sense of its progressiveness), conditions, especially those found in the central and Park also thought that Korean minka was in the Gyeongseong regions. In his 1928 article entitled process of evolving from a primitive to a developed "Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (1)" ("A state. From his first assessment of Korean minka, he study of the Korean housing from the central region shared Iwatsuki's idea that they were underdeveloped, (1)"), he reiterated his ideas on the development of based on Korean people's old-fashioned, irrational Korean minka: ways of living, including their poor habits and even "The styles and contents of housing have been their personalities, and needed to be reformed, first developed in relation to its regional characteristics, by enlightening the Korean people with scientific such as natural environments, and they have become knowledge. The following comments were published certain qualities. On the one hand, they [the styles in a 1924 article under Iwatsuki's name: and the contents of housing] have been influenced "Meanwhile, I have looked at the architectural by cold and warm climates, material productions, conditions of Korean minka , and it is not an transportational relations with other areas, and e xa gge ra t i on t o sa y t ha t m ost of t he m pre se rve 258 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung housing styles from ancient times. Since human living jipsin on. However, even those who recognize this standards are developing day by day in the present, imbalance never pay attention to housing, which is the most urgent task is to enlighten the general public. not only an extension of clothing but also a mirror of We also have to teach them the use of contemporary human consciousness (…) Rather than changing our scientific knowledge, which has the power to reform [traditional] housing into Western and other foreign the irrational. This mission should be the responsibility styles and harmonizing it with Western-style clothing, of architects (…) What is most disappointing is that it is better to throw away the useless and expensive many architects don't have sufficient knowledge of foreign style clothing that doesn't suit our housing Korean minka. To fully understand it, they shouldn't traditions. Housing and clothing should suit each merely look at its plans and structures, which are not other (...) A scene of a person calmly entering into a important at all; what is most needed is to understand dilapidated thatched-roof house wearing the newest the fundamentals of Korean people's living conditions. extravagant Western-style suit is like seeing a civilized So it is necessary to study their mental states and person inspecting a barbarian house. If the solemn personalities - in other words, Koreans themselves. foreign-style clothing and the collapsing thatched I believe that this goal cannot be achieved solely by roof house are from the same form of lifestyle, it is inspecting and investigating their appearance. Rather, an impropriety rather than a simple abnormality; it is we need to have a deep love for our compatriots, a impossible to see harmony in it." sympathy for the current phenomena and a strong wish for future development." 4. "Housing is a Vessel Containing People's Lives" However, what is unique in Park's ass essment B a si c a l l y, t h e g i st o f Pa r k 's i d e a s o n Ko r e a n o f Ko r e a n mi n k a is that he also found that the housing reformation can be understood as reclaiming recently developed imbalance (incongruity) between historically developed Korean housing traditions to Korean living and dwelling conditions caused by harmonize Korean living and dwelling conditions. the careless importation of foreign elements was a However, he also thought that (Korean) housing should problem. (Actually, Park criticized the contemporary serve as a vessel containing people's contemporary proliferation of Bunka Jutaku, "culture housing", lives: in Korea. ) So, in recommending its reformation, "If housing doesn't serve contemporary human Pa rk sugge st e d t ha t Kore a n housi ng t ra di t i ons lives, it is a vessel that is wasted. In other words, it is "environmentally" developed from the past be a useless vessel. It is not an exaggeration to say that reclaimed in order to create harmony with people's [Korean] traditional housing is not housing in the living customs, such as clothing and dietary habits. complete sense." In his 1928 article entitled "Byeongjeoggihyeong-ui Park came up with a set of several architectural saenghwalhyeongsig" ("Abnormal living style"), he solut ions sat i sfyi ng t he dua l purpose of Kore an said: housing. While respecting Korean traditional living and "…by being heavily influenced by the stimulative dwelling customs, he suggested the implementation foreign (outside) styles, the contemporary lives of of necessary scientific and utilitarian changes. (For Korean people have lost and deformed the harmony example, in considering hygienic and healthy ways and unity developed from the past. They are more of li ving, Park thought tha t nat ural li ghti ng and abnormal than simply deformed. For example, wearing ventilation were desperately needed in contemporary dulumagi [a traditional Korean overcoat] and jipsin housing.) To this end, Park also referenced Korean [traditional Korean straw shoes] with a silk hat or minka developed in other provinces. However, in some Western style suits on is, needless to say, abnormal. So, cases, he insisted on the abolition of certain traditional along with solving individual incongruities in clothing housing conditions that tailored to contemporary ways or housing, it is important to achieve harmony between of living. The above solutions were actualized with the eating, clothing and housing, as they are the three Korean minka existing in Gyeongseong and Kaesong. main components of our contemporary lives. In this 4.1 On Korean minka in Gyeongseong sense, kneeling on the ondol floor and eating Western Park suggested that haenglangbang (rooms on both food with chopsticks is an incongruous lifestyle (…) sides of the main gate where servants live) should be clothing and housing conventionally have a very close converted into sarang in Gyeongseong minka: relationship. In a certain sense, housing can be seen "…in the case of a big house where servants are as an extension of clothing…housing is an aesthetic definitely needed, it is better to plan a female servant object in itself and, needless to say, both housing and room in a proper place by abolishing the traditional clothing must be useful. At the same time, they must haenglangbang. In Gyeongseong minka, even if share a unified and harmonized style. Korean people haenglangbang are commonly found, sarang rarely tend not to recognize that housing is an extension exist. Sarang are found only in big houses and are of clothing, and there is an inseparable relationship exclusive to a certain social class. So, it is important between the two (…) Everyone recognizes that it is to incorporate them into ordinary people's houses wrong for someone to wear Western-style suits with in the Gyeongseong area because there is no space JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung 259 for accommodating guests in them…In Korea, the is very common. So, for the sake of efficiency, it is traditional custom of not allowing outsiders into the rational to plan an ondol structure to serve as many family domain still exists and, even if this gradually rooms as possible from one kitchen. Upon finishing disappears, I believe that it will still be some time investigating the entire Korean regions, Professor before we see insiders and outsiders pleasantly talking Kon from Waseda University said that the people in the naebang and the daecheong [summer living living in the northern regions know how to build ondol room]. So, with this surviving traditional lifestyle, structures, and I agree with his insight." (Fig.5.) Korean housing cannot avoid being regarded as 4.2 On Korean minka in Kaesong a bnormal if it is not equipped with guest rooms. Here, Park first talked about fixing Kaesong Korean people normally don't visit other people's meolibang into a room that family members could use houses unless they have urgent business to take care more actively in their everyday lives: of, and whenever visitors come with urgent matters, "Throughout its long history, a lot of unique the place under the eaves of the main gates is the only regional living and dwelling customs imbued with spot to meet them. For this reason, rather than simply traditional overtones have been generated in Kaesong. saying that it is necessary to abolish haenglangbang, I Conservative Kaesong people have developed ways to think that it is better to convert them into sarang." sincerely respect their ancestors in their daily lives… Park often discussed the possibility of repurposing Next to maru [wooden porch], there is an ondol room and renovating naebang to accommodate sunlight and called wolbang in Gyeongseong. [In Kaesong] This natural ventilation. Here, he referred to traditional room is called meolibang (…) The ondol furnace of a housing structures from northwest Korea: meolibang is located two rooms away from it, so with "I think that the reason for making daecheong, which the insufficient sunlight in the winter, it is impossible are favorable to sunlight and natural ventilation, in for people to stay in this room. And, even if it is an traditional Gyeongseong housing is to compensate for ondol room, heating never works here. Originally, the the poor conditions of naebang, which are impossible meolibang was not planned for people's use because it to use in the summer. So, by placing naebang in the is a space where gods' spirits are supposed to stay. So location of daecheong and refurbishing their windows it is not required to keep it warm with a human-like and other features properly, naebang can be kept in temperature. [I think that] meolibang are not necessary a good and clean condition and can be used in the for our family lives at the present time. Seen from summer as daecheong. Daecheong are not found in the perspective of housing planning, it is a useless the northwest Korean provinces. Because of the proper space. I want to suggest that meolibang should be location of naebang in these regions, people don't feel abolished. With this, however I don't mean to abolish the need to have daecheong in their houses." (Fig.4.) the traditional custom of respecting ancestors. Rather, I imagine alternative ways of continuing the custom by making meolibang as simple as possible." (Fig.6.) Fig.4. and 5. Reformed Middle-Class Gyeongseong minka and its Kitchen (Park, 1928) For the sake of its usefulness and efficiency, Park also suggested repurposing the traditional kitchen of Gyeongseong minka: "…to improve the structure of the traditional kitchen Fig.6. Typical Middle-Class Kaesong minka (Park, 1928) [which is now] unsuitable for cooking, first of all, its size should be enlarged to make sufficient space for Secondly, while criticizing the insanitary structure storing cooking utensils as well as accommodating of Kaesong minka, which reflects a conservative, old- people's activities. As for making ondol, it is good to fashioned lifestyle, Park suggested fixing the traditional have each room's furnace face the kitchen, to make family rooms to take full advantage of natural light and heating control easy. In northern Korean provinces, ventilation: heating three to four rooms' ondol from one kitchen 260 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung "Reflecting the conservative, traditional lifestyle the careless importation of Western material culture common in Kaesong, housing there doesn't have any problematic, and proposed reclaiming environmentally windows facing north. This housing structure interferes developed Korean housing traditions to create harmony with the influx of sunlight and dry air into the rooms. with people's living conventions, such as clothing and With regards to health, Kaesong housing is not sanitary dietary habits. In this way, Park tried to create Korean enough to be used as contemporary urban housing housing that would serve as a vessel to contain not since it still preserves feudal customs. only Korean people's contemporary needs but also All the family rooms [in Kaesong minka] face south their traditional lifestyles. and a toenmaru [narrow wooden porch running along Park's architectural ideas highlight some of the the outside of a room] is attached to each of them. unique characteristics of Korean architectural Compared to the planning of naebang in Gyeongseong, modernity formulated during the colonial period. it can be said that the family rooms in Kaesong minka Although he initially embraced the concept of are more advanced in the sense that each room has its Korean (housing) architecture (or ideas concerning own developed version of daecheong. I think that it is its development) drawn from contemporary Japanese rational to plan important rooms to face the direction thought on the subject, he ceaselessly sought new and that allows the most sunlight and natural ventilation." unique ways to further develop Korean housing in (Fig.7.) relation to the lives of contemporary Korean people, which were shaped by regional and cultural factors. The author believes that Park's architectural legacy provides a new venue to initiate alternative discussions on the nature of Korean architectural modernity during the colonial period, and that it helps us overcome the stylistic debates on the subject. Acknowledgement This paper has been made possible by the assistance and support of McGill University and the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2013K2A1A2055165). Notes See Octavio Paz, Children of the mire; modern poetry from Romanticism to the avant-garde (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1974), 1. According to Paz, "modernity is never itself. It is always the other. The modern is characterized not only by novelty but also by otherness." In this sense, architectural modernity can be characterized as ceaseless change, without being fixed in a particular form or style. Fig.7. Reformed Middle-Class Kaesong minka (Park, 1928) For this reason, major positions in Joseon Kenchiku-Kai were filled by Japanese government officials; Chuta Ito and Tadashi Finally, Park wrote more about reforming Kaesong Sekino also served as advisory committee members from the minka in utilitarian ways: beginning of the association. "So, let me suggest some ways to reform Kaesong The official magazine of Joseon Kenchiku-Kai, Joseon to Kenchiku, was first published in June 25th 1922 and it continued mi nk a …I t wo ul d be use fu l n ot on l y t o put maru circulating till August 1945. in some parts of the kitchen to use it as a place for Among them, heating was one of the major problems. cooking, but also to convert gwanggan [storage] into 5 The vice-president of Joseon Kenchiku-Kai, Shozaburo Iwai, sarang. The furnace heating the sarang should be talked about why Korean housing did not suit the Japanese. He accessed from the space underneath the kitchen floor. repeatedly said that it was too small and narrow, structurally clumsy, and under-developed; he thought that it was inconvenient In this way, sarang and naebang can be used as spaces for the Japanese to live in. He also argued that Korean housing for eating and sleeping, with the toilet next to the main had been in a stagnant condition due to many decades of long gates." economic impoverishment and that it was inferior to Japanese housing. (For more, see Shozaburo Iwai, "Zaisen naichi-jin no 3. Conclusion kenchikuyoushiki ha amarini kikou fuudo ni mukanshin da Joseon to Kenchiku," Joseon to Kenchiku 3, no.1 (1924): 2.) Taking advantage of the newly introduced scientific Joseon Kenchiku-Kai,"Hakkan no ji,"Joseon to Kenchiku 1(1922): and utilitarian knowledge, Park suggested architectural solutions to reform Korean traditional housing 7 As a chief architect for the Japanese Government-General of conditions, which actually went hand in hand with the Korea, Iwai had been involved in a lot of major governmental contemporary social movements to "culturalize" old architecture projects, such as the Keijo-fu building (completed in 1926, now home to the Seoul Metropolitan Library), the Korean ways of living and dwelling. However, what Government-General building (completed in 1926), and the Joseon is monumental about Park's ideas is that he found Exhibition of 1929 held in Gyeongbok Palace. JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung 261 8 Iwai, "Zaisen naichi-jin no kenchikuyoushiki ha amarini kikou References fuudo ni mukanshin da," 2. 1) Fujii, Shoichiro and Yamaguchi, Hiroshi. (1973) Nihon kenchiku For more, see Shoichiro Fujii and Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Nihon sengen bunshu [Japan architectural declaration]. Tokyo: Tokyo kenchiku sengen bunshu (Tokyo: Tokyo Shokokusha, 1973), 21- Shokokusha. 2) Ito, Chuta. (1926) Jinja kenchiku ni taisuru kosatsu [Considerations Chuta Ito, "Jinja kenchiku ni taisuru kōsatsu," Joseon to Kenchiku on Shinto shrine architecture]. Joseon to Kenchiku, 5 (1), pp.3-19. 5, no. 1 (1926): 18. 3) Ito, Chuta. (1927) Nanzan-sou yobanashi. Joseon to Kenchiku, 6 Chuta Ito, "Nanzan-sou yobanashi," Joseon to Kenchiku 6, no. 11 (11), pp.2-9. (1927): 8-9. 4) Iwai, Shozaburo. (1924) Zaisen naichi-jin no kenchikuyoushiki Myung-Sun Kim, and Jung-Woo Lee, "Jungbujibang gagubeobe ha amarini kikou fuudo ni mukanshin da Joseon to Kenchiku [The daehan Park Kil-Ryong ui pyeonggawa gaelyangan" (A study on architecture built for the Japanese residents in Korea has nothing Park, Kil-Ryong's Appreciation and Suggestion for Improvement to do with Korean climatic and natural characteristics]. Joseon to of 'the Housing Plan of the Middle Area of the Jo-Seon'), Journal Kenchiku, 3 (1), pp.2-3. of the Architectural Institute of Korea, 177 (2003): 161-169. 5) Iwatsuki, Yoshiyuki. (1924) Joseon minka no ie-gamae ni tsuite [On The school was established by the Japanese Government-General Korean vernacular housing structure]. Joseon to Kenchiku, 3 (11), of Korea in April 1916. For more on the education of the school, pp.2-11. please see Changmo Ahn, "Iljeha gyeongseong-godeung-gong- 6) Iwatsuki, Yoshiyuki. (1925) Jutaku to jinrui no seikatsu ni tsuite [On eobhaggyowa geonchuggyoyug" ("A Study on Kyungsung housing, human race and living]. Joseon to Kenchiku, 4 (5), pp.1- Institute of Engineering and Architectural Education"), Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea, no. 116 (1998): 35-46. 7) Iwatsuki, Yoshiyuki. (1925) Jutaku to jinrui no seikatsu nit suite (1) Korean employees were at a disadvantage when it came to [On housing, human race and living (1)]. Joseon to Kenchiku, 4 (3), promotions, most left the Japanese Government-General of Korea pp.1-5. after only a few years. 8) Joseon Kenchiku-Kai. (1922) Hakkan no ji. Joseon to Kenchiku, 1, Yoshiyuki Iwatsuki, "Joseon minka no ie-gamae ni tsuite," Joseon p.1. to Kenchiku 3, no.11 (1924): 2-3. 9) Kato, Keizaburo. (1929) Sekai Keizai to Joseon (1) [World According to Park, the central region includes the provinces economy and Korea (1)]. Joseon, 173, pp.121-124. of Gye o nggi , we st Ga ngwon, sout h Hwa ngha e , a nd nort h 10) P, Saeng. (1928) Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (1) [A Chungcheong. He said that these areas show a homogeneous study on the Korean housing from the central region (1)]. Joseon, housing style. For more, see P Saeng, "Jungbujoseonjibangjuga- 127, pp.57-60. edaehan-ilgochal (1)," Joseon 127 (1928): 58. 11) P, Saeng. (1928) Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (2) [A Iwatsuki, "Joseon minka no ie-gamae ni tsuite," 3. study on the Korean housing from the central region (2)]. Joseon, Ibid., 3. 128, pp.57-60. Ibid., 7. 12) P, Saeng. (1928) Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (3) [A Given the fact that Wajiro Kon's first publication on Korean minka study on the Korean housing from the central region (3)]. Joseon, came out in 1922, it is obvious that Iwatsuki and Park already 130, pp.45-47. knew about Kon's analyses on it. Actually, Park mentioned about 13) P, Saeng. (1928) Bugjoseonjibangjugaui ondol [Northern Korean Kon in one of his writings published in 1924. housing ondol]. Joseon, 129, pp.47-51. Given the contemporary environmentalist interests, it is fair to 14) P, Saeng. (1928) Byeongjeoggihyeong-ui saenghwalhyeongsig say that the knowledge, "Housing is a vessel containing people's [Abnormal living style]. Joseon, 125, pp.71-73. lives," was very popular among the Japanese architects, including 15) Park, Kil-Ryong. (1929) Jalsallyeomyeon jibbuteo gochibsida (1) Iwatsuki, residing in the Korean peninsula around the early 1920s. [Let's fix our housing to live well (1)]. Joseon-ilbo, p.3. P Saeng, "Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (1)," 57.; 16) Paz, Octavio. (1974) Children of the mire; modern poetry from Myung-Sun Kim and Jung-Woo Lee argued that P Saeng is Kil- Romanticism to the avant-garde. Cambridge and Mass: Harvard Ryong Park. University Press. P Saeng, "Bugjoseonjibangjugaui ondol," Joseon 129 (1928): 49. Iwatsuki's ideas on housing (architecture) evolutionism are found in the following articles: Yoshiyuki Iwatsuki, "Jūtaku to jinrui no seikatsu ni tsuite," Joseon to Kenchiku 4, no. 5 (1925): 1-4. and Yoshiyuki Iwatsuki, "Jutaku to jinrui no seikatsu ni tsuite (1)," Joseon to Kenchiku 4, no. 3 (1925): 1-5. Fo r m ore , se e P Sa e ng, "By e ongj e oggi hye ong-ui saenghwalhyeongsig," Joseon 125 (1928): 71-73. Iwatsuki, "Joseon minka no ie-gamae ni tsuite," 10-11. For more, see Kil-Ryong Park, "Jalsallyeomyeon jibbuteo gochibsida (1)" ("Let's fix our housing to live well (1)"), Joseon- Ilbo, May 16, 1929, 3. P Saeng, "Byeongjeoggihyeong-ui saenghwalhyeongsig," 72-73. P Saeng, "Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (2)," Joseon 128 (1928): 56. Ibid., 57. Ibid., 58. See note 21. Ibid., 58-59. P Saeng, "Jungbujoseonjibangjuga-edaehan-ilgochal (3)," Joseon 130 (1928): 45-47. Ibid., 47. Ibid., 46. Ibid., 47. 262 JAABE vol.14 no.2 May 2015 Yoonchun Jung
Journal
Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
– Taylor & Francis
Published: May 1, 2015
Keywords: Korean housing; Kil-Ryong Park; evolutionism; environmental-determinism; architectural modernity
