Key takeaways
Jeon Hyeong-pil commissioned modern architect Park Gil-ryong to build "Bohwagak," a Western-style museum, in 1939 — considered Korea's first private museum. Fact After Jeon's death in 1962, his sons carried on his legacy, relaunching the institution as the Kansong Art Museum and the Korean Folk Art Research Institute in 1966. Fact
Simujang was built in 1933, and unusually for a hanok, it faces north rather than the traditional south. One story holds that this was deliberate — to keep its back turned to the Japanese colonial government headquarters — though Han Yong-un's own daughter has disputed this account, so it isn't treated as settled fact. Unverified Simujang was designated Seoul Monument No. 7 in 1984, and later elevated to National Historic Site No. 550 in 2019. Fact
Gilsangsa was originally Daewongak, a high-end entertainment house; its owner, Kim Yeong-han, donated more than 40 buildings and 23,140 square meters of land to the Buddhist monk Beopjeong, converting it into a temple in 1997. Fact Kim Yeong-han is also known as the woman referred to as "Natasha" in the poetry of the celebrated Korean poet Baek Seok. Fact
What to look for on site
- The modern architectural style of Bohwagak
- Simujang's north-facing layout and its narrow courtyard
- Traces of the building's entertainment-house era still visible on the grounds of Gilsangsa
Original, site-only, restored, or recreated?
- Original, still standing: Simujang and Choi Sunu's Former House — both buildings survive as originally constructed. Fact
- Same building, new purpose: Gilsangsa — the former entertainment-house buildings were never demolished; only their function changed, from entertainment house to temple. Fact
Avoid saying "Gilsangsa was always a temple."