From the outside they are angular, grey cubes, filled with oversized, opaque windows. Inside, glossy and unnatural wood panelling gives no remote hint of imitation. Plastic flooring proudly heats the cold. But Concrete walls radiate it, and the heat in the summer. Metal-framed windows shut out the winter, shut out the seasons. Modern Korean buildings are ugly and badly designed.
There are practical reasons for this. These buildings are cheap and easy to construct. Rapidly increasing urbanisation has meant people need somewhere to live fast. The booming economy means their inhabitants don’t need to worry about the air-conditioning and heating bills. But this doesn’t explain why modern Korean buildings are so ugly.
Korea’s Confucianist principles play a significant role. They dictate austerity and practicality, so there is no historically based tradition of building anything attractive.
Korean temples are bland compared to their counterparts in other parts of Asia. The royal palaces in Seoul are large and sprawling but show little aesthetic flare.
Korea’s neighbours, or perhaps Korea’s relationship with its neighbours, have also influenced Korean architecture, albeit indirectly. Koreans are very keen to distinguish themselves from the Chinese and Japanese. When rebuilding after the war, Korean architects outrightly rejected their architectural styles.
This also means that they must disregard their own traditions. China’s significant cultural influence means that old-fashioned Korean buildings have a very Chinese appearance, and apart from being impractical in the modern world, their appearance is inappropriate.
But Korean architects cannot look to the West for inspiration either. Japanese colonial architecture copied Western and European buildings of the time down to the finest detail. For a Korean, a quaint 19th century train station is a brutal symbol of tyranny and oppression.
Without any historical aesthetic tradition to draw from, and a total rejection of all other architectural styles, it is no surprise that Korean buildings are so unappealing.
Growing wealth coupled with unequal supply and demand, Korean architecture has become a horrid mishmash of any and every tradition. It combines a total rejection of the past with a steadfast continuation of Korea’s long standing principles and ancient beliefs.
Modern Korean cities are blocky grids, practical yet characterless. But don’t be deceived. Behind the endless coffee shop chains, past all the white and grey cars, inside the dull buildings the Korean spirit still dwells, stronger and more powerful than ever.
