2023-04-13
27, Naesang-ro 51beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju
+82-10-8427-0505
Built more than 80 years ago, Dasomchae is a 'hanok (traditional Korean house)' guesthouse located in Songjeong-dong, Gwangju-si. It has 12 guestrooms whose walls are covered with healthy, natural red clay. The blankets are filled with natural cotton for a good night's sleep. There are lots of grapevines and trees in the front yard, including yew, locust, Japanese angelica, pomegranate, jujube, and apricot trees. In summer, the chimney is covered with trumpet flowers, making for a picturesque view. There is also a Korean A-frame that has actually been used for decades. Located a mere 10 minutes away by car from Songjeong Station, the guesthouse is very conveniently located for those wishing to visit various tourist destinations in the city.
2025-08-12
2830-6, Pungsantaesa-ro Seohu-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
'Hakbong Head House is the head house of the Uiseong Kim clan and was originally built near Sogyeseodang Village School by Kim Gwang-chan, an 8th-generation descendant of Hakbong Kim Seong-il, in 1762. In 1964, the house was moved to its current location. The main building (bonchae) was extended from a ‘ㅁ’-shaped structure to a ‘巳’–shape structure. The anchae (women’s quarters) consists of a daecheong (main floored room) measuring 2-kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) on the right, an anbang measuring 2-kan on the left, and kitchen at the end. The upper part of the low-ceilinged kitchen has a gobang (storeroom) in which household goods used to be stored. The daecheong is large compared to the overall size of the house because head houses usually held many ancestral rites. The Hakbong Head House has an impressive modern garden that was created during construction work carried out when the house was relocated after the Japanese ocupation era. The well-maintained garden with its fantastically-shaped trees and rocks also serves as a venue for musical concerts on a regular basis. Guests will surely be fascinated to find out about the history of the people who once inhabited this house and dedicated themselves to the country in times of trouble.
2025-10-29
7, Deokdongmunhwa-gil, Gibuk-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
2020-09-10
43, Baraemi 1-gil Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
+82-10-8575-9036
This historic house has been the home of the descendants of Kim Yeo-byeong, one of the tenth-generation ancestors of its current occupants. Kim Yeo-byeong was born as the fourth son of Kim Seong-gu (courtesy name: Oheon, 1641-1707), founder of Uiseong Kim's Clan at Baraemi Village in Bonghwa and who was a great-great-great grandson of eminent Neo-Confucian official-scholar Kim U-goeng (courtesy name: Gaeam, 1524-1590). The house is comparatively large, featuring a square layout with a lofty five-bay gate building (soseuldaemun) and the main house of seven bays. The main building (anchae) of the house, located against the backdrop of a pine hill, is believed to have been built over 400 years ago before the founder of the family arrived at the village. The family guesthouse (sarangchae) was renovated in 1876 by Kim In-sik (courtesy name: Amun, 1855-1910), who served as the caretaker (Chambong) of Sunghyejeon Shrine, and Grand Master Tonghun before founding Joyang School, which would later become the present-day Bonghwa Elementary School. The name of the house, Tohyang, came from the courtesy name of Kim Jung-uk (1924-1967), a grandson of Kim In-sik. The latter was conscripted by the colonial authority ruling Korea at the time to serve the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo but fled during a military drill to become a freedom activist fighting against Imperial Japan in the Chinese cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. He returned home after the 1945 Korean Liberation and studied in Jungang High School and Korea University before serving as a budget officer at the Economic Planning Board. The name of the house inscribed on the plaque hung under the roof of the gatehouse was written by his son Kim Jong-gu in honor of his life and achievements. At the front courtyard of the house is a lotus pond including barbecuing equipment and pottery kiln. In the rear garden is a folk playground with facilities and equipment for swinging, traditional Korean seesaw, shuttlecock-kicking, pitch-pot, and top spinning. The front courtyard also features rustic ceramic pots and rooftiles bearing poetic passages written by the mistress of the house who is a prize-winning poetess. The house provides visitors with an opportunity to experience traditional Korean cultural heritage such as pottery, calligraphy, poetry, and traditional musical instruments. Rich with the heritage of traditional Korean culture and lifestyle, the Historic House of Tohyang guides visitors to refreshment and healing obtained from the legacy of the peaceful rural life of days gone by.
2025-06-09
494, Juwangsan-ro, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
2020-09-10
23-8, Songsogotaek-gil Pacheon-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
+82-54-873-6502, +82-10-9502-7611
The Chalbanggong Head House is a resting place in nature that is open to everyone. The house was built in 1933 as the head house of Chalbanggong Shim Dang, a 9th-generation descendant of Akeungong from Cheongsong Shim’s Family. The place was also used as a village school and is designated as local cultural heritage no. 13. The structure of the house is shaped like the Korean alphabet "ㄷ". The fact that the gate of the house is facing north is very unusual. The house is positioned next to the Songso Old House, which has 99 rooms, and is composed of Ondol rooms heated by firewood as well as a wide yard and a vegetable garden. The place provides a comfortable resting space for those who want to enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional Korean-style house that they cannot easily see in urban areas. The rooms are papered with traditional Korean paper and equipped with beddings. The house is located in a region that is so quiet you can barely hear a thing except the sound of birds and wind. There is an ancestral shrine in the head house that looks just like a warm grandma’s house.
2025-08-12
86, Gwangdeoksolbat-gil Pungcheon-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Ogyeonjeongsa House was established by Ryu Seong-yong (pen-name: Seoae, 1542-1607), a minister of Joseon, with the help of Buddhist monk Tanhong, as a place to study and educate his students. After building Wonjijeongsa House, Ryu wanted to build another house at the foot of Buyongdae Cliff amid a tranquil environment away from the village, but due to his financial situation he was unable to complete the building by himself. Then, the monk Tanhong helped him build Ogyeonjeongsa House, which took ten years (1576 to 1586) to complete, when Ryu was 45 years old. Later, Ryu Seong-yong was able to share warmth with his brother (Gyeomam), who lived in nearby Gyeomamjeongsa House. Ryu later lost his house in Hahoe in the great flood of the Nakdonggang River in 1605, and retired to Ogyeongjeongsa House where he wrote Jingbirok (The Book of Correction, National Treasure 132), a memoir of the Imjin War (Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592). The house’s guestrooms include Sesimjae (meaning ‘having a mind to this place to achieve at least one in ten thousand things,’ inspired by the I Ching or The Book of Changes), which was used by Ryu as a schoolhouse and has two small rooms between the maru gamheonrok (wooden floor, meaning ‘looking up at the sky and down at the blue water,’ inspired by Wang Xizhi’s poetic diction); Wonlakjae (meaning ‘waiting for a friend’s visit,’ inspired by the Analects of Confucius), in which Ryu himself resided and wrote Jingbirok; and the maru aeoheon (meaning ‘I also love my hut,’ taken from a poem by Chinese poet Tao Yuanming), which measures two kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns).
2020-09-10
3193-6, Pungsantaesa-ro Seohu-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
+82-54-843-3328 / +82-10-3522-1542
'Andong City in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province is a town of culture and folk traditions where one can trace the long history of eminent families. It is also a symbol of time-honored tradition to the extent that the name Andong reminds people of traditional Korean hanok houses. Isangru, an ancient hanok house with a history of 2,590 years, located in the foothills of Mt. Cheondeungsan, served as a venue for the memorial rite for Kim Seon-pyeong, the progenitor of the Andong Kim clan and a meritorious government official during the reign of King Taejo of the Goryeo Dynasty. Isangru, meaning ‘a tall majestic building built on frosty ground’, is a two-story wooden building with a tiled roof characterized by elegant curves that form a half-hipped shape when viewed from the side. The house consists of two accommodations, Taejangtaesa and Isangru, arranged in a ‘ㅁ’ shape. The large door located in the middle of the ground floor offers an open view of the beautiful natural environment including a pine grove, a pond, and wild flowers. Built in 1750, this hanok house shows its age in its wooden pillars, stone walls, and interiors decorated with wooden engraving on the handrail. Guests can stay in a room heated with wood in winter, or in a tent for a different experience in summer. The house has been well maintained with various repair works, and underwent extensive renovations, including the wallpaper and floors, in 2013. Although it is close to a road, the house is surrounded by old trees, creating the impression that it is situated in the middle of a dense forest. A path runs between ancient pine trees on the road leading to the house. There is a pond with water lilies and white lotus flowers in front of the house, while various species of wild flowers including big blue lily turf, plantain lily, montane aster, and asters come into full bloom around the house in their respective seasons. Fully maintained by the Andong Kim clan, Isangru is a large structure that can accommodate many people and is used to hold clan assemblies. This tall building is also used as a venue for concerts, seminars and traditional hands-on experience programs for students, including tea ceremony, masked dance, natural dyeing, hanji (Korean paper) crafts, and filial duty education programs. The house also offers guests a traditional nobleman’s dining table including various wild vegetable dishes for breakfast. Isangru is popular among Korean and foreign guests who want to experience traditional Korean culture or enjoy a relaxing stay with their parents amid beautiful nature. In addition, it is located between Hahoe Folk Village and Dosanseowon Confucian Academy in Andong, and offers easy access to other nearby tourist attractions including Bongjeongsa Temple, which is the oldest wooden building in Korea and is just three minutes’ drive away, and the two-hour-long Dulegil Trail.
2025-08-12
1714-11, Sugogyonggye-ro Imdong-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
'Suaedang Traditional House was built by Ryu Jin-geol, also known by his pen-name of Suae, in 1939. This hanok-style house consists of three buildings that measure 29-kan (a traditional measurement that corresponds to the space between two columns) in total.
The main room, or jeongchim (7-kan at front and 2-kan at sides), has a half-hipped roof, and forms a‘ㄱ’-shape with the storeroom (10-kan at front), which also has a half-hipped roof. Originally located at 612 Sugok-dong, Andong-si, the house was relocated from a slight slope to a flat piece of land due to the construction of Imha Dam in 1987. Consequently, the Jeongchim was rebuilt at a lower level than before.
The Suaedang was renovated by modernizing the old-style facilities including the kitchen, toilets, and washroom without changing their external features, while the rooms and daecheongmaru (main floored room) were decorated with red clay and natural paint. Suaedang, with its beautiful panoramic view of the lake, was designated as Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Property No. 56.
2020-09-10
15-1, Songsogotaek-gil Pacheon-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
+82-10-8746-6690
Cheongsong-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do is a small village blessed with a spring flowing with natural mineral water, a beautiful valley with a majestic waterfall, and a mountain densely covered with pine trees. Thanks to this superb natural environment, Cheongsong-gun was designated as a 'Slow City' in 2011. Songjeong gotaek (The Old House of Songjeong) is located in the village of Deokcheon in Cheongsong-gun, which is one of the three richest and most prestigious families in the region.
These three wealthy families are said to have produced millionaires for nine generations - from Sim Cheon-dae during the reign of King Yeongjo of Joseon (r. 17224-1776) to the 1960s. In particular, it was a seventh-generation grandson, Sim Ho-taek (pen-name: Songso), famous as one of the richest men in Joseon, who built Songso gotaek (Old House of Songso) along with three houses for his three sons, including Songjeong gotaek for his second son Sim Sang-gwang (pen-name: Songjeong) around 1880. As the Cheongsong Sim Clan has lived in the area for many generations, Cheongsong is known as the village of the Cheongsong Sim family.
Covering a total area of about 10,000m2, Songjeong gotaek has a tall and grand front gate that symbolizes the wealth of the family. Upon entering by the gate, the large outer courtyard comes into view, followed by a gate connecting to the Old House of Songso on the right, and a walking path connecting to a well and a pine grove on the left. The square-shaped structure consists of a sarangchae (detached building), chaekbang (library), and daecheongmaru (main floored room). Passing through the entrance, there are the main building and the inner courtyard. Notably, the chaekbang has retained its original appearance from the time when it was used by Sim Sang-gwang.
Although the house is very large, its interior is simply and modestly designed according to the virtues favored by classical scholars. The rooms are floor-heated in the traditional way (by ondol) using wood, decorated with traditional hanji (Korean paper), and equipped with traditional bedding.
Songjeong gotaek offers visitors a variety of experience programs designed to promote the form of Korean classical music known as Gukak. It holds three major musical events each year including a pansori folksong program and a fusion gukak concert, attracting an audience of anywhere from 200 to 800 people to the courtyard of the house. Sometimes, families hold parties to celebrate their parents’ 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays.
The low hill situated behind the house has a quiet walking path.