Types of Housing

Korea has four distinct seasons. Winter is cold, and summer

is hot and humid. This is why traditional Korean housing uses

the "ondol" heating system to get through the winter. Ondol is

created by building air passageways under the floor to allow

heat from a fire lit elsewhere in the house. The passageways

are covered with flat bricks, which are then covered with mud.

The fireplace at the start of the air passageways is called an

"agungi", and it is usually located in the kitchen. The floor

stays heated for a long time thanks to the way the bricks hold

the heat.
Traditional housing styles consist of "chogajip" and "giwajip."

Chogajip can be seen these days almost exclusively at

Yongin Folk Village. They have straw roofs and their walls are

made of earth and wood, making them cool in summer and

warm in winter. The rice-straw used for roofing is also called

"ieong". Giwajips use tiles on the roof instead of straw. They

are not fancy, but are quiet and full of feeling.
Shoes are removed when entering one of the rooms. In the

past, traditional houses had no chairs. Foreigners who are

unaccustomed to sitting on the floor with their legs folded for

long periods of time may find doing so difficult, but Koreans

are used to this. Instead of beds, people sleep on beddings

placed on the ondol floor. The Korean style mattress, the "yo,"

holds the heat from the ondol, allowing one to enjoy the

warmth for a long time. These days even houses in the

countryside use modern heating systems to heat the floor, but

it is still possible to find the old methods still employed to heat

old houses.