Jul 10: Korean Folk Village

smile, it keeps the bad spirits away...

Today, we all went to the Korean Folk Village to study rural life of 19th century Korea. Here, you can experience a full scale reconstructed village that are exact replicas of Korea's rural areas during the 1700 to early 1900s all mixed together. As an architecture student, it was my first inclination to study the farmhouses and housing prototypes back then. However, what was unique about the village was how it tried to rural and urban culture of past time Korean folk villages. Every detail from candy makers to burning hay to traditional horticulture, reflected how these villages progressed and sustained itself.




no its not crack...but really sticky taffy with one kilo of sugar powder


traditional outdoor restaurants serving traditional kimchi and soon tofu with traditional teas or Coke...


It should be noted that about one-third of the Folk Village contains preserved architecture from the 19th century and available to be viewed by the public. However, the Village itself presents and interesting question: "Do you really preserve traditional customs and rural culture by isolating it in one tourist spot?" Don't get me wrong. I would definitely recommend the Folk Village to anyone visiting Korea. Yet, I wonder what is the big gain by building this living time capsule. The village recreates the experience with a considerable amount of accuracy; yet, its in a controlled setting. It is arguable that this itself somewhat dampers the preservation of this rural culture.


like they used to do it, I pound then you pound....

However, the counter argument would be that its not a question of authenticity but of memory. the act of preservation can be redeemable because the experience you get from the Folk Village is based historical accounts that have been recorded and past down through Korean historians. So then by experiencing the Folk Village you create a memory traditional Korean rural life. This memory then becomes an account to possibly answer the question : "What was traditional folk villages like then?" The answer is actually interesting because, since the Folk Village recreates homes, roads and village centers from different era's of Korean history, you describe one place with multiple times. This is more complex than a general overview because the answer is constructed from seeing different ideas from different times recreated through one act in one place.



traditional bibimap (mixed rice and veggies)...great for vegetarians



the hat makes your head dance...




up and at 'em..........

-mikey
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