Daehangno and Hyehwa-dong: An Architectural Walk

Daehangno and Hyehwa-dong: An Architectural Walk
Date: Saturday, October 6, 2012: 13:00-16:30
Destinations: Daehangno and Seongbuk-dong neighborhoods in Seoul
Tour Leader: Dr. Robert J. Fouser

During this excursion of Daehangno and Hyehwa-dong, we will look at a variety of styles of Korean architecture in the 20th century. The tour will begin in around the Marronnier Park, which were Seoul National University and its Japanese colonial forerunner, the Gyeongseong Imperial University were located. Several university buildings built during the colonial period still stand, including the former headquarters building which was designed by Park Kil-yong (1898-1943), a noted Korean architect during the colonial period. The Marronnier Park area is also home to three buildings designed by Kim Swoo-geun (1931-86), Korea's most famous architect. The buildings have ornate brick work and multi-leveled spaces, which typify Kim's style in the 1970s.
From the Marronnier Park area, we look at the headquarters of the Seoul National University Medical School, another colonial era building. From here, we will walk through a small "redevelopment district" dominated by hanok, Korean traditional-style houses. The area is typical of a "redevelopment districts" across the country. From here, we will walk through commercial areas of Daehangno and look at various examples of commercial architecture and signage from the 1990s to the present.
Entering Hyehwa-dong, we will visit the house of former Prime Minister Chang Myon who led Korea between the fall of Syngman Rhee in 1960 and Park Jung-hee's coup d'etat in 1961. Though based on hanok design concepts, the house includes Western and Japanese styles and is an excellent example of mid-20th century upper-class residential architecture. From here we will walk through Hyehwa-dong, passing several interesting hanok on the way.
We will make our way to Seongbuk-dong, passing part of the Seoul Wall on our way. Our next stop is Choi Sun-woo's house, a beautifully restored hanok maintained by the National Trust of Korea. Choi Sun-woo (1916-84) was a noted writer on Korean art and culture and the 4th director of the National Museum of Korea. He met Kim Swoo-geun in 1963 and taught him much about Korean aesthetics. During the 1970s, the two men traveled throughout Korea looking at important historic sites. The house is an excellent example of a larger hanok outside of the Seoul Wall.
We will begin the excursion at 13:00 at Exit #2 of Hyehwa Station (Subway Line 4). The excursion will last until about 16:30 and will end at Choi Soon-woo's house. The house is a short walk to Hanseong University Station (Subway Line 4). The walk is relatively flat, but comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

About the Excursion Leader
Robert J. Fouser was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He holds a B.A. in Japanese language and literature and an M.A. in applied linguistics, both from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from Trinity College Dublin. He studied Korean language intensively at Seoul National University in 1983-84 and taught English in Korea for seven years, mostly at Korea University, during the mid-1980s and early 1990s. From 1995 to 2008, he taught foreign language education at Kyoto University and other universities in Japan and developed the Korean program in Kagoshima University. Since 2008, he has been teaching Korean as a second/foreign language education at Seoul National University. He has written numerous articles on Korean art and culture, and has translated Understanding Korean Literature by Kim Hunggyu into English. He currently writes a biweekly column entitled "Bukchon Journal" for The Korea Times.
PLEASE RESERVE SPACE ON THE EXCURSION BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012, FOR THE FOLLOWING:

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Please make a excursion payment to the following account: Shinhan Bank Account #100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)