Hagindang Hanok

About 200 years ago, during the late Joseon Dynasty in Korea, members of the Suwon Baek Clan settled in Jeonju and lived in a cluster village outside the city. Hagingdang, one of the oldest traditional houses in Jeonju Hanok Village was built by one them, Baek Nak-jung, from 1905 to 1908. 

Jeonju is  the birthplace of pansori, a Korean genre of musical storytelling, and the hanok was designed with indoor and outdoor pansori performances in mind. It includes a broad hall of 35 Kans (an old measurement unit for Korean buildings), three times as large as the halls in common houses. 

After the Liberation of Korea in 1945, Hagindang hanok was used as a guesthouse for government officials, and during the Korean War, it was occupied by the Head of the Communist Party of North Jeolla Province  and used as a private residence.

Today,  Baek Nak-jun’s five-generation descendant Cha Jong-son and his wife operate  the Hanok and disseminate the Korean traditional culture and heritage through a variety of experiences such as traditional etiquette and tea programs.