Preserving ancient art of Korean Lego, one house at a time

Built using a traditional joinery technique, hanoks have gained popularity in recent years after decades of decline, being turned into tourist accommodation, eateries and retail stores.

- Wendy Teo

But Mr Ahn Young-hwan had other ideas. Seeing the heritage hidden behind decades of modifications to the once majestic building, the real estate developer turned hotelier convinced the owner, a family friend, in 1992 to preserve the piece of history instead.

After he stripped away layers of modifications and reduced the traditional Korean house to its basic wooden foundation, what Mr Ahn saw made him weep.

"When I saw all the nails that had been hammered into the wood over the years, sadness just overwhelmed me," the 68-year-old recalled.

That first hanok restoration project more than three decades ago convinced Mr Ahn that the beauty of these buildings - which are characterised by their curved eaves, pine wood structures and courtyard garden - needed preservation and to be showcased to the world.

After turning the restored hanok into a restaurant, which he ran until the building was sold, Mr Ahn went on to start the Rakkojae brand of hanok hotels in Seoul and Andong.

In traditional hanok carpentry, nails or pegs are not used. Instead, the elements come together in an intricate interlocking puzzle like a "Lego system", so they can be assembled and taken apart easily for repairs.

This traditional joinery technique was patented by the Korean Intellectual Property Office in 2017, as part of the government's efforts to preserve and promote traditional Korean architecture.

Hanoks have gained popularity in recent years after decades of decline, being turned into tourist accommodation, eateries and retail stores as the Korean Wave drew planeloads of K-fans. The Bukchon Hanok Village in central Seoul is so overrun with tourists that it started a curfew in November.