Banchon 'Yeongdeok Goe-si Village' Designated as National Folk Cultural Property

"Showcasing Changes and Diversity in Residential Architecture of the Late Joseon Period"

'Yeongdeok Gwaesi Village,' a Ban village where the history and culture of a single clan are passed down, will be designated as a National Folk Cultural Property. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 3rd that it will review opinions from various sectors for a month and finalize the designation through the Cultural Heritage Committee's deliberation.

Located in Yeonghae-myeon, Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongbuk, Yeongdeok Gwaesi Village is the birthplace of the great scholar Yi Saek (1328?1396) from the late Goryeo period. The village was first settled by the Hamchang Kim clan, Yi Saek's maternal family, and around 1630, the Nam clan of Yeongyang settled there, making it a Nam clan-dominated village. Its original name was Hojichon, meaning a village with many swamps and ponds. Yi Saek named it 'Gwaesi Village' because it resembled 'Gwaesi,' the village of the Yuan dynasty scholar Gu Yangbok.

The village faces the Yeonghae Plain with the foothills extending in the shape of the character '八' (pal). The Songcheon River runs east to west through the plain, forming a typical baesanimsu (mountain at the back, water in front) landscape.

Inside, about forty traditional houses and the traditional village landscape are well preserved. Most houses are courtyard houses (madangjip) seen in upper Andong residences, where the main house (anchae), guest quarters (sarangchae), and auxiliary buildings are connected in a 'ㅁ' shape, with the sarangchae protruding as a wing house. They are arranged facing west according to the terrain. An official explained, "The tonglae-toekan (a corridor space in front of the owner's room) seen in Yeongdeok's 'ㅁ'-shaped houses can also be found in Gwaesi Village's 'ㅁ'-shaped houses."

Seventy percent of courtyard houses nationwide are distributed in northern Gyeongbuk. The courtyard houses in Gwaesi Village were introduced in the 17th century by the Nam clan of Yeongyang. They formed the mainstream based on academic lineage, intermarriage, and branch families. The official added, "They coexist with houses that have evolved into yangtongjip (houses with rooms arranged front and back under the ridgepole) focusing on practicality."

The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "This is a valuable heritage that allows us to examine the influence of architecture through cultural transmission and human exchange." It also noted, "It holds historical and academic value as it demonstrates the changes and diversity in residential architecture during the late Joseon period."

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