This book offers an introduction to Korea's abundant and unique architectural past and present, combining explanations of the principles behind Korean architecture with introductions to some of the country's finest buildings and structures. It explains some of the ideologies and perspectives that form the foundation of Korean architectural tradition and outlines the history of Korean architecture, from the first architectural traces of dugouts and lean-tos to the increasingly sophisticated wooden frames and technologies. It offers a brief introduction to the basic elements, construction process, structural anatomy, and materials used in building a Korean traditional architecture. The book also highlights ten of Korea's best-known and most significant traditional buildings, ranging from Buddhist temples to royal palaces, Confucian royal shrines, landscaped literati gardens to "Enlightenment"-era fortresses. Korea's early modern architecture—a period from the colonial domination by Japan into the mid-20th century—is also examined.

In this book, the reader is taken on a journey through centuries of tradition, innovation, and cultural significance. From the ancient hanok houses to the modern skyscrapers that now dot the skyline, the impact of Korean architecture on society and culture is undeniable. Drawing on influences from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Chinese architecture, this book delves deep into the roots of Korean design principles and techniques. With a keen eye on the future, the discussion extends to the preservation and restoration efforts of Korean architectural treasures, as well as the evolving trends and innovations shaping the landscape of modern Korean architecture. Through the expertly crafted narrative, readers are invited to explore the rich cultural and symbolic meanings embedded in every architectural detail, from the use of color and materials to the intricate motifs and decorations that adorn Korean structures. As we reflect on the profound significance of Korean architecture, this book serves as a vital resource for those seeking a deeper understanding of the past, present, and future of this timeless art form. A must-read for architecture enthusiasts, cultural scholars, and anyone interested in the transformative power of design.

Although modernization in Korea started more than a century later than in the West, it has worked as a prominent ideology throughout the past century—in particular it has brought radical changes in Korean architecture and cities. Traditional structures and ways of life have been thoroughly uprooted in modernity’s continuous negation of the past. This book presents a comprehensive overview of architectural development and urbanization in Korea within the broad framework of modernization. Twentieth-century Korean architecture and cities form three distinctive periods. The first, defined as colonial modern, occurred between the early twentieth century and 1945, when Western civilization was transplanted to Korea via Japan, and a modern way of life, albeit distorted, began taking shape. The second is the so-called developmental dictatorship period. Between 1961 and 1988, the explosive growth of urban populations resulted in large-scale construction booms, and architects delved into modern identity through the locality of traditional architecture. The last period began in the mid-1990s and may be defined as one of modernization settlement and a transition to globalization. With city populations leveling out, urbanization and architecture came to be viewed from new perspectives. Inha Jung, however, contends that what is more significant is the identification of elements that have remained unchanged. Jung identifies continuities that have been formed by long-standing relationships between humans and their built environment and, despite rapid modernization, are still deeply rooted in the Korean way of life. For this reason, in the twentieth century, regionalism exerted a great influence on Korean architects. Various architectural and urban principles that Koreans developed over a long period while adapting to the natural environment have provided important foundations for architects’ works. By exploring these sources, this carefully researched and amply illustrated book makes an original contribution to defining modern identity in Korea’s architecture, housing, and urbanism.

Containing approximately 1500 entries covering Korean civilisation from early times to the present day this dictionary looks at subjects including history, politics, art, archaeology, literature.

This book examines the development of national emblems, photographic portraiture, oil painting, world expositions, modern spaces for art exhibitions, university programs of visual arts, and other agencies of modern art in Korea. With few books on modern art in Korea available in English, this book is an authoritative volume on the topic and provides a comparative perspective on Asian modernism including Japan, China, and India. In turn, these essays also shed a light on Asian reception of and response to the Orientalism and exoticism popular in Europe and North America in the early twentieth century. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, the history of Asia, Asian studies, colonialism, nationalism, and cultural identity.

This edited collection explores the visibility of modernization in architecture produced in different capitalist regions across the world and provides readers with a historico-theoretical and historico-geographical discussion. Focusing on a particular building type, an influential architect’s work, as well as relevant texts and documents, each chapter addresses the many facets of "delay" which are central to the problematization of capitalism’s progressive dissemination of technological and aesthetic regimes of modernism. This collection underlines the centrality of temporality for a critical understanding of colonialism, modernism, and capitalism. The book is primarily concerned with the historical timeline, the tangential point when a nation enters modernization processes. In exploring modernism in diverse regions such as East Asia, Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Iran, each chapter addresses the historiographic and architectonic unfolding of modernization beyond the western hemisphere. The exploration of these diverse case-studies will be of interest to students of architecture and researchers working on the collision of temporalities and the subject's critical importance for different country’s built-environments.

The Secret Spirit of Korean Architecture is a response to the growing international interest in Korean architecture, its tangible historical and contemporary forms, and a multidisciplinary contribution to the discourse that has resulted in new writing and audiovisual materials exploring principal features and themes, materials, techniques and methodologies particular to the genre. Korean architecture can rightly be seen as one of the best kept secrets of East Asian cultures and civilisations. While aspects of Korean art have become increasingly popular worldwide, Korean architecture remains unknown outside the circle of specialists and visitors to the country. This volume is an edited compilation of Kim Bongryol's acclaimed writings that appeared originally in Korean. The author holds forth on a range of subjects that are beyond the scope of architecture but may be familiar to students of East Asian art and material culture, art history and history in general. At the same time he invites the reader to contemplate ideas that are particular to Korea and Korean architecture. While dealing with histories of the architectural landmarks chosen for discussion, the author surprises the reader with some of the most intimate minutiae of information about people and communities involved in the planning and development of these buildings. He is not content with extolling the attibutes of architectural treasures under his scrutiny and proceeds further to examine and bring into a sharper relief the human dimension behind the existence of these treasures, engaging the reader with eloquent yet piquant passages on that essential aspect of the processes at work in world architecture. Kim Bongryol does not wish his audience to remain in thrall of the remarkable achievements in Korean architecture; instead he wants the reader to appreciate Korean architecture in the dual context of Korean history and contemporary society. -- from back cover.