House of Lee Young-Choon, Gun-San, Jeonbuk-do, South Korea

Artist/Designer: Vernacular

Project Location: South Korea

Style/Period(s):
Classical

Primary Material(s):
Wood, Clay, Stone, Glass

Function(s):
Residential Structure

Related Website(s):

Significant Date(s):
1920

Additional Information:
The House of Lee Young-Choon was initially built as a villa for Kumamoto, a wealthy Japanese landowner who managed a large farm in the Jeonbuk region during the Japanese colonial period. The house is a single-story wooden structure that combines the basic spatial design of a Japanese-style house with the living room of a Western-style house and the ondol (underfloor heating system) room of a Korean-style house.
The house's exterior is Western-style, with a slate roof and natural stone and wood finishes. The interior is exquisitely decorated and furnished. The chandeliers and furniture in this building were imported from foreign countries. High-quality materials were used during its construction, making the cost similar to that of the official residence of the Japanese Government-General of Korea. The building has a sizeable Japanese-style tatami room to the south, an ondol room (currently used as a dining room) to the north, and a small hall at the end of the hallway that connects the kitchen, utility room, and bathroom. The north window, which leads to the outside, has three windows, including a three-segment window with glass, a sliding screen, and a full-length window. The kitchen has been remodeled into a standing kitchen with a sink installed on the north side.
This building is an excellent example of how a new modern residential culture was introduced and incorporated into traditional Korean architecture. It has an outstanding architectural composition in the floor plan and exterior composition. This combination of Western, Japanese, and Hanok styles is not commonly seen in residential architecture in Jeolla-do and is considered a rare case in other provinces. Moreover, this building has historical value that shows the history of land exploitation by Japan. It is also valuable considering its historical importance on the local medical activities of Dr. Lee Young-Choon, the owner, after liberation. It is currently used as the House of Lee Young-Choon Memorial Hall.

Address: 7, Donggaejeong-gil, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk-do, Republic of Korea

Publications/Texts in Print
1. https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO202005351394734.pdf
2. http://repository.jthink.kr/bitstream/2016.oak/799/1/JSJ0206_%EA%B5%B0%EC%82%B0%20%EA%B7%BC%EB%8C%80%EA%B1%B4%EC%B6%95%EA%B8%B0%EB%A1%9D%EB%AC%BC%20%ED%98%84%ED%99%A9%EA%B3%BC%20%EB%94%94%EC%A7%80%ED%84%B8%20%EC%95%84%EC%B9%B4%EC%9D%B4%EB%B9%99%20%EB%B0%A9%EC%95%88%20%EC%97%B0%EA%B5%AC.pdf
3. https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO200624718278690.pdf

Tags: Korea, Historic House, Gunsan

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