Hanok

"Hanok" means Korean home, and the term has come to represent a style of traditional architecture constructed of wood, stone, and earth.

For many people in Seoul, home is an apartment in a high-rise building, but, in some places, hanok living still exists.  The Bukchon area north of downtown stands out as a classic, inhabited hanok village.



Hanok construction.

 

Looking uphill in a Bukchon alleyway
popular with sightseers.



Hanok eaves and windows.

Descending a steep alleyway in Bukchon.


 

The elaborate front gate is a hallmark
of hanok homes in Bukchon.

 

More Bukchon hanok homes.
 

Bukchon hanok have black tile roofs pictured here
in the foreground.
Rural, more modest dwellings often had straw roofs.
The small courtyard
that the hanok are clustered around is another
common feature
in a multi-structured village.

 



A hanok nestled between modern
architectural styles.