Seongeup Folk Village () is a traditional Korean folk village in ,

Seogwipo Seogwipo (; ) is the second-largest Administrative divisions of South Korea, city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to inclu ...

Jeju Province Jeju Province (; ), officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (Jeju language, Jeju: ; ), is the southernmost Provinces of South Korea, province of South Korea, consisting of eight inhabited and 55 uninhabited islands, including Marado, Udo ...

, South Korea. It has been continually inhabited for around 600 years, since the 15th century, and is maintained to resemble its traditional pre-modern form. The entire village, as well as several individual buildings inside it, are National Folklore Cultural Heritages of South Korea. Two trees in it are Natural Monuments of South Korea.

Description

The village is an authentic () that dates to at latest the early

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

period. It was the county office beginning in 1423, during the reign of

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

. It was continually used as an administrative center until 1914. It was once much larger than its current form, with reportedly around 1,500 households. It waned in influence by the 1930s. The village is filled with ''

hanok A (; name in South Korea) or ''chosŏnjip'' (; name in North Korea and for Koreans in Yanbian, China), is a traditional Korean house. were first designed and built in the 14th century during the Joseon dynasty. Korean architecture conside ...

'', traditional Korean buildings. There was a major fire in 1826, where around 80 buildings were destroyed, and there was another fire in 1948 during the

Jeju uprising The Jeju uprising (in South Korea, the ''Jeju April 3 incident'', ) was an insurrection on Jeju Island, South Korea from April 1948 to May 1949. A year prior to its start, residents of Jeju had begun protesting elections scheduled by the Un ...

. Some buildings in the village have survived both these incidents, and date to the early 19th century. The town is designed according to the principles of

feng shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

, and is designed and placed with its defense in mind. The town's walls are well-preserved. The town's houses often have '' olle'', walled alleyways from the street to the house. The ''olle'' in the town are considered to be unusually short. There are now around 110 structures in the village.

Tourism

The village now offers historical and cultural experiences. Visitors can participate in trying on ''

hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...

'' (traditional Korean clothing), archery, dyeing cloth, and shopping for crafts. There are restaurants that serve snacks and traditional Korean and Jeju foods. One Jeju family-run business has brewed the alcoholic beverage ' in the village for multiple generations. Their business was interrupted when home distillation of alcohol was prohibited during the Japanese colonial period. The village holds a yearly Jeongeui-gol Folk Festival () each October. The village has hosted reenactments of ceremonies on a number of occasions, such as processions for the inauguration of the county governor and wedding ceremony reenactments. The village has also hosted local talent competitions. The local government is continuing to invest in renovations and more cultural experiences for the village. Some residents are negotiating with the government to allow for more modern renovations to the traditional buildings that they occupy in the village.

Gallery

File:Jeongeui Eupseong South Gate.jpg, The south gate of the town, with ''

dol hareubang A (Jeju language, Jejuan: ), alternatively , or , is a type of traditional volcanic rock statue from Jeju Island, Korea. It is not known when the statues first began to be made; various theories exist for their origin. They possibly began to b ...

'' statues visible to the right (2021) File:Seongeup Historic Village Dol hareubang.jpg, ''Dol hareubang'' statues at the south gate (2021) File:Gaekjujip House in Seongeup Village, Jeju.jpg, Houses in the town (2021)

References

External links

{{Commons category inline, Seongeup Folk Village Folk villages in South Korea Seogwipo Tourist attractions in Jeju Province 15th-century establishments in Korea National Folklore Cultural Heritage of South Korea

Description

Tourism

Gallery

See also

References

External links