Building the Seoul YMCA (1900s-1910s)
One of the earliest references to Korea getting a modern, dedicated association building was printed in an annual report forContinue Reading
Tag: colonial architecture
The Influence of Giyōfū Architecture and 19th Century Japan on Early Modern Korea
Almost a decade after Charles M. Dyce characterized the compradoric style of Chinese open ports, a Japanese art critic coinedContinue Reading
Tatsuno Kingo: The Face of an Empire
Early modern architecture in Japan went through a series of distinct phases. One of these phases was a certain kindContinue Reading
The Chosun Hotel
Once called “the Ritz Hotel of the Far East”,1 the Chosen Hotel was, for a time, the last word inContinue Reading
Early Modern Brick and the Perforated Qing Cross
Before the rise of reinforced concrete, brick was the heart and soul of many an early modern building in Korea.Continue Reading
The Comfort, Construction, and Social Views of Common Homes in Colonial Korea
The period of Japanese imperialism was one of architectural experimentation. As architects came to find out, some of the WesternContinue Reading
Hanok in Japan, Korean Architecture Abroad
Over the course of Korea’s colonization, the construction of thousands of machiya and other Japanese clapboard buildings altered Korea’s traditionalContinue Reading
Art Deco Architecture in Korea
Art Deco architecture in Korea, which came during the colonial period, is an extremely understudied topic. Some are of theContinue Reading
Yeosu
Situated in the middle of Korea’s southern coastline, the micro-peninsula of Yeosu was heavily influenced by Japanese settlers and WesternContinue Reading
Suncheon
At the end of the 19th century, the area around Suncheon had long been known as an important military andContinue Reading
Gampo
Korea’s eastern coastline is home to a number of port villages that were developed by migrant Japanese settlers during theContinue Reading
Mokpo
A small ocean-side village sat on the tip of the South Jeolla province during the Joseon period. Estimated as having only eighty householdsContinue Reading
Ganggyeong
Ganggyeong-eup was an important colonial river port during the Japanese occupation. As industrialization swept the peninsula in the 1960s andContinue Reading
Ulsan
Perhaps no other city in Korea has seen as much change in architecture and infrastructure as Ulsan, for only oneContinue Reading
Samnangjin
Samnangjin contained one of the biggest docks on the Nakdong River during the Joseon period. Positioned just south of Miryang,Continue Reading
Miryang
Miryang sits in a basin made by the Nakdong River which, though fairly mountainous, is just above an important plainContinue Reading
Jinhae
Strategically placed in the middle of a natural harbor, and even further protected from possible Russian naval attacks by theContinue Reading
Cheongdo
Cheongdo The county of Cheongdo (Cheongdo-gun) was named centuries before Korea’s early modern period back in 1343. Its modern administrativeContinue Reading
Busan (7)
Gangseo-gu In 1927, socialist writer Cho Myeong-hui described the Nakdong River as being “the mother’s milk of many lives” inContinue Reading
Busan (6)
Nam-gu The majority of the hill houses in Uam-dong and Munhyeon-dong appear to be from the 1960s, with perhaps a handfulContinue Reading
Busan (5)
Dong-gu Overview Choryang was a fishing village, which was reportedly ‘“difficult to walk about in the fishing season because ofContinue Reading
Busan (4)
Seo-gu In the early 1900s, the West New Town project that was developed inside present day Seo-gu and part ofContinue Reading
Busan (3)
Jung-gu Present day Jung-gu roughly occupies what was the exclusive Japanese concession in Busan. (This included Nampo-dong, which got itsContinue Reading
Busan (2)
Yeongdo After the port’s opening in 1876, the lands in the northern part of the island of Yeongdo, formerly knownContinue Reading
Busan (1)
A Word About Busan and the Events Surrounding Its Opening (1850-1876) Prior to the city’s official naming in 1910, theContinue Reading
Daegu (2)
Jung-gu Continued… Namsan-dong About a block south of Seomun Market Station (Exit 3) on the Green Line is Namsan ElementaryContinue Reading
Daegu (1)
Any discourse on the colonial modernization of Daegu must be centered around the construction of Daegu Station and the dismantlingContinue Reading
Jinju
Jinju is a very old city. Touted as having a thousand-year history, it used to be known as Goryeonggaya prior toContinue Reading
Daejeon (2)
Jung-gu As the railway fostered development around Daejeon Station and Jung-dong, the city also expanded west into modern day Jung-gu. DaejeonContinue Reading
Tongyeong
Tongyeong is a small, but noteworthy, connective point along the southeast coast of Korea. Named after the Samdosugun Tongjesayeong (삼도수군통제사영) navalContinue Reading
Sorokdo
Sorokdo’s tragic past stands as a historic example of human rights abuse – particularly abuse committed under the name ofContinue Reading
