Gangneung Seongyojang

Seongyojang House was built by Yi Nae-beon (pen-name: Mugyeong), an 11th-generation descendant of Grand Prince Hyoryeong (the elder brother of King Sejong the Great), and has been repaired and extended numerous times over the last ten generations. The house is composed of a variety of rooms and buildings of different sizes, and there are twelve gates between its many buildings, which include 3 ‘Byeoldang’ rooms (Dong, Seo, and Oe), Sarangchae, Jungsarang, Haengangchae, and Sadang. Seongyojang House is well known as one of the largest and greatest houses in Korea in terms of the number and size of its buildings and its total land area among houses built at that time. Interestingly, Seongyojang was built to such a great size due to the influence of the classical poem Gwandongbyeolgok (about the Beautiful Scenery of Gwandong, present-day Gangwon-do, in 1580) written by Jeong Cheol (1536-1593, pen-name: Songgang). Because of the popularity of this poem, a cultural trend emerged in which noblemen of the late Joseon Dynasty felt compelled to visit the Gwandong (present-day Gangwon-do) area at least once in their lifetime, and Seongyojang was a must-see attraction. The house experienced a crisis when only three people were staying in this vast building. However, the director of the house, Lee Kang-baek, strived to save his ancestors’ invaluable heritage and finally received the necessary administrative support. Thanks to that, all the toilets and shower facilities were modernized, and Seongyojang House now offers both the beauty of a traditional hanok building and convenient modern facilities for all its guests. Seongyojang has many wonderful structures including Hwallaejeong Pavilion, one of its most charming structures; Yeolhwadang, which was given as a gift to the Russian Consulate; Yeonjidang, which was built in an elegant style; and Seobyeoldang. In particular, the signboard of Hwallaejeong was changed and rewritten regularly by members of the Joseon literati who stayed in the house. The most famous version of the signboard was written by Gim Jeong-hui (1786-1856, pen-name: Chusa).