Korean architecture (Korean: 한국건축) refers to an architectural style that developed over

centuries in Korea. Throughout the history of Korea, various kingdoms and royal dynasties have
developed a unique style of architecture with influences from Buddhism and Korean Confucianism.
[1]
Having been deeply influenced by Chinese architecture, traditional Korean architecture can be
[2]
mostly recognized by its sloping roofs.
Just like in the case of other Korean arts, Korean architecture is distinguished by its naturalistic
[3]
tendencies, simplicity, economy of shape, and avoidance of extremes.

General characteristics[edit]

The east wing Sanrangchae

The rear side of the Anchae

A yangban manor in the rural area of Gyeongsang Province.

In Korean architecture, buildings are structured vertically and horizontally. A construction usually
rises from a stone subfoundation to a curved roof covered with tiles, held by a console structure and
supported on posts; walls are made of earth (adobe) or are sometimes totally composed of movable
wooden doors. Architecture is built according to the kan unit, the distance between two posts (about
3.7 meters), and is designed so that there is always a transitional space between the "inside" and
the "outside."
The console, or bracket structure, is a specific architectonic element that has been designed in
various ways through time. If the simple bracket system was already in use under the Goguryeo
kingdom (37 BC – 668 AD)—in palaces in Pyongyang, for instance—a curved version, with brackets
placed only on the column heads of the building, was elaborated during the early Goryeo (Koryo)
dynasty (918–1392). The Amita Hall of the Buseok temple in Yeongju is a good example. Later on
(from the mid-Koryo period to the early Joseon dynasty), a multiple-bracket system, or an
inter-columnar-bracket set system, was developed under the ancient Han dynasty in China influence
during the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). In this system, the consoles were also placed on
the transverse horizontal beams. Seoul's Namdaemun Gate Namdaemun, Korea's first national
treasure, is perhaps the most symbolic example of this type of structure.
In the mid-Joseon period, the winglike bracket form appeared (an example is the Yongnyongjon Hall
of Jongmyo, Seoul), which, according to some authors, better suited the peninsula's poor economic
situation that resulted from repetitive invasions. Only in buildings of importance like palaces or
sometimes temples (Tongdosa, for instance) were the multicluster brackets still used. Korean
Confucianism also led to more sober and simple solutions.

Historical architecture[edit]

Prehistoric architecture[edit]
In the Paleolithic the first inhabitants of the Korean peninsula used caves, rockshelters, and portable
shelters. The remains of a portable shelter dating to c. 30,000 BC were excavated at the Seokjang-ri
[4]
site in South Chungcheong Province. The earliest examples of pit-house architecture are from the
[4]
Jeulmun Pottery Period. Early pit-houses contained basic features such as hearths, storage pits,
and space for working and sleeping.
Log houses were built by laying logs horizontally one on top of one another. The interstices between
the logs were filled with clay to keep the wind out. Similar houses are still found in mountainous
[5]
areas as like Gangwon-do province.
Elevated houses, which probably originated in the southern regions, are believed to have first been
built as storage houses to store grains out of the reach of animals and to keep them cool. This style
still survives in the two-story pavilions and lookout stands erected in melon patches and orchards
[5]
around the countryside.
[4]
In the Mumun period buildings were pit dwellings with walls of wattle-and-daub and thatched roofs.
Raised-floor architecture first appeared in the Korean peninsula in the Middle Mumun, c. 850–550
[4]
BC.
Megaliths, sometimes called dolmens, are the burials of important and prestigious persons of the
Mumun Pottery Period (1500–300 BC). They have been found in great numbers and along with
stone-cist burials, megaliths and are the main examples of mortuary architecture in the Mumun.
There are three types of megaliths: (1) the southern type, which is low and often a simple slab with
supporting stones, (2) the northern type, which is larger and shaped much like a table, and (3) the
capstone type, which has a capstone with no supporting stones. The distribution of the dolmens
would imply some relation to other global megalithic cultures.
 ●
Reconstructed Neolithic-period huts in Amsa-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
●

Model
●

Dolmen at Ganghwa Island

●

Gochang Dolmen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Proto–Three Kingdoms period (c. 1st-2nd century BC to

2nd-3rd century AD)[edit]
It is a subdivision of what is traditionally called Korea's Three Kingdoms Period and covers the first
three centuries of the Common Era. Archaeological evidence of ondol (Hangul: 온돌), the Korean
[4]
floor panel heating system, was found in the architectural remains of early Protohistoric period.
According to Chinese text Sanguo Zhi, it recorded the existence of three types of prehistoric
dwellings in Korea: pit houses, log houses and elevated houses. Only the remains of pit houses
have been identified, however. Pit houses consisted of a 20–150 cm deep pit and a superstructure of
grass and clay supported by a tripod-like frame made of timber to provide protection from the wind
and rain. Pit houses of the Neolithic period had circular or oval pits about 5–6 meters in diameter
with a hearth at the center. Most of the early ones were located on hills. As these dwellings moved
down nearer to rivers, the pits became rectangular in shape as well as larger, with two separated
[5]
hearths. In 108 BC, the Chinese commanderies was established after the destruction of Gojoseon.
Official buildings of this period were built of wood and brick and roofed with tiles having the features
of Chinese construction.
Three Kingdoms period (c. 1st century BC-668)[edit]

Common architecture[edit]

In the Three Kingdoms Period, some people lived in pit-houses while others lived in raised-floor
buildings. For example, the Hanseong (Hangul: 한성, 漢城; an eastern part of Seoul and western
part of Hanam city in Gyeonggi Province) Baekje settlement of Seongdong-ri in Gyeonggi Province
[6]
contained only pit-houses, while the Silla settlement of Siji-dong in Greater Daegu contained only
[7]
raised-floor architecture.

●
Pottery shaped in the form of a house from Gaya.
●

Pottery shaped in the form of a house from Gaya.

Fortress architecture[edit]
Main article: Korean fortress
Goguryeo, the largest kingdom among the Three Kingdoms of Korea, is renowned for its mountain
fortresses built horizontally and vertically along the incline of slopes. One of the well-preserved
Goguryeo fortresses is Baekam fortress (白巖城) constructed before 6th century in present-day
South-West Manchuria. A Chinese historian noted, "The Goguryeo people like to build their palaces
well." Patterned tiles and ornate bracket systems were already in use in many palaces in
Pyongyang, the capital, and other town-fortresses in what now is Manchuria.

●
Ruins of Hwando Mountain Fortress, a major Goguryeo fortification, Ji'an, China. A UNESCO
World Heritage Site dated to c. 5th century.
●

Hwando Mountain Fortress ruins.

●

The remains of a major rammed earth fortress of the early Baekje kingdom, c. 3rd or 4th century.
Seoul, South Korea.