If 500 year old Korean architecture gets you excited, then you may want to visit Yangdong Folk Village (양동민속마을) located 40 minutes north of Gyeongju. This village purportedly has 160 houses of which 54 are over 200 years old. The village is spread out along hillsides, making it blend naturally with the environment.

Yangdong Folk Village

Several buses go there each day from Gyeongju Bus Terminal, although you will have to walk 1.2 km from the bus stop to the village. While riding the bus, keep your eyes open for a village sign on the right side of the road. When you see it, you can ring the “stop bus” bell and be on your way.

Yangdong Village

When you arrive at the village, ask the tourist information booth for a map of the area, if they have one. I simply wandered around from house to house, but would have benefited a little by have a map to plan my course.

Yangdong Folk Village

It would have been nice to have had an English speaking tour guide to explain the history of and special design characteristics of the houses at Yangdong Folk Village. And since I’m not an expert on historic Korean architecture, I can only base my experience on the aesthetic impressions I had.

Kimchi, fermented beans, and soy sauce jars

There were some well preserved and beautiful houses as well as some deteriorating house. The houses that were preserved well, still retained a look of authenticity. I appreciate this aspect more now that I’ve been to the Jeonju Hanok Village. The Jeonju Hanok Village, in contrast, looks like it was built yesterday with modern materials.

Yangdong Folk Village

I did, however, see some things that I didn’t like. For one, there was a clearly visible clash of modernity and history. Many of the mud and brick walls lining the edges of some houses had unsightly plastic sheets sticking out of the tops. I can only assume the plastic sheets are being used to reinforce the walls or to protect them from weathering.

Yangdong Folk Village

In addition to this, modern farming trash and other things that looked like waist were piled up in yards, corners of buildings, and in generally visible places. I even saw a sofa and a lounge chair on the front porch of one of the buildings. So while I did enjoy certain aspects of Yangdong Folk Village, I found some things turned me off.

The worst of the worst that needs tidying up

I suppose that in a perfect world, the residents of Yangdong Folk Village would be more image conscious and try to keep their yards and other visible spaces tidy. Since I don’t live there, I don’t know what the reasons are for letting things slide. It is my hope though, that the people in charge of such things take some action to preserve the overall beauty of the place, and not just some of it.

When worlds collide...

While I wrote a more positive review of the Andong Hahoe Village due to the opportunity it offers one to eat Andong Jjimdak, drink Andong soju, and watch a mask dance performance, I think the Andong Hahoe Village also has some tidying up to do.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, I can recommend visiting Yangdong Folk Village to those people who are really interested in these kinds of places. If you haven’t been to the Andong Hahoe Village yet, you should go there first and then decide if you want to visit the Yangdong Folk Village.

[Update]
Hahoe Village, along with Yangdong Village in Gyeongju, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List under the category of “Historic Villages in Korea” on July 31, 2010.

Resources
Korea Tourism Organization
Information Network Village

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