Yangdong Folk Village

Yangdong Folk Village (Yangdong Village of Gyeongju) is a traditional yangban (Korean Aristocracy) village from the Joseon dynasty.

The village is located in Gangdong-myeon, sixteen kilometers northeast of Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, along the Hyeongsan River. Mt. Seolchang stands to the north of the village.

The size, degree of preservation, numerous cultural assets, traditionalism, beautiful natural setting all contribute to the importance of Yangdong Village. It is also a fine example of the yangban (Korean aristocracy) lifestyle and Neo-Confucian traditions.

Yangdong Folk Village map.
The village was founded by Son So (1433-1484). The household of the Wolseong Son clan was placed on an auspicious site according to Korean theories of pungsu (geomancy).

Son So and his wife, the daughter of Yu Bok Ha had a daughter who married Yi Beon of the Yeogang Yi family. The marriage produced one of the eighteen sages of Korea, Yi Unjeok. The village of Yangdong has continued since its auspicious beginning in the 15th century.

Yangdong Elementary School.

General view of Yangdong Village.
Although some of the village is unoccupied today, the overall the village has over 160 tile-roofed and thatched-roof homes built throughout the dense forest.

Fifty-four historic homes over 200 years old have also been preserved.
The village preserves folk customs as well as traditional buildings of traditional Joseon dynasty architecture.

Gwangajeong House.
Gwangajeong is an old hanok, or Korean traditional house located in Yangdong village, Gangdong-myeon, Gyeongju, South Korea.

It was the house of Son Jung-don (1463-1529), a civil minister during the reign of King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty.
Sarangchae (men's quarter) and anchae (women's quarter) of the house are arranged in a rectangular shape looking to the west whereas a shrine is located facing to northeast.
The hanok is regarded as a good example for studying houses built in the mid Joseon period.
See more at Gwangajeong - Wikipedia.

Yangdong Village west side.

Mucheomdang House.
Mucheomdang is a pavilion of the Joseon Dynasty located at 32-19 Yangdong Village An-gil (Yangdong-ri), Gangdong-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. It is designated as Treasure No. 411.

This is the sarangchae building of the head family of Yeogang Lee, a descendant of Yi Eon-jeok (1491-1553), a civil servant and a great scholar in the early Joseon Dynasty.
The Yeogang Lee clan's head family house is the house where Lee Eon-jeok's father, Yi Beon (1463-1500), settled and lived.
Jonggatjip is largely divided into three areas: the main building, which is a house building to the east, Mucheomdang, which is a sarangchae and a byeoldangchae, to the west, and a shrine located at the top between the main building and Mucheomdang.
The head house of the Yeogang Lee clan, which seems to have been built in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty, became the head family of Lee Eon-jeok, and served as the head house of the Yeogang Yi clan's Mucheom party faction and also as the eldest head house of several factions.