SPACE February 2025 (No. 687)
Jeju’s Position from Now▼1: 50 Years of the Architect Kim Seokyoun
Architect Kim’s Atelier Building (1992) Image courtesy of Mokchon Architecture Archive / ©Kim Seokyoun
interview Kim Seokyoun principal, Architect Kim’s Atelier, Woo Don-Son professor, Korea National University of Arts × Kim Jeoungeun editor-in-chief
On the 29th of November, the Mokchon Foundation in Naeja-dong, Seoul hosted an event to commemorate the publication of Oral history of Architect, Kim Seokyoun which covers 50 years of his architectural work in Jeju. Kim, who said that ‘Jeju’s vernacular architecture taught me how to do architecture’ and strove to define Jeju’s regional characteristics, is the first architect in the series to be based outside of Seoul. As a ‘grown up’ who has been active not only in Jeju’s architectural life but also in its cultural scene, the celebratory atmosphere created by his colleagues, juniors, and known civic organisation members from Jeju and Seoul was abundantly present at the second book launch event held in Jeju Munhwa Forum’s seminar room. SPACE caught up with him to learn more about his search for ‘Jeju-ness’.
Kim Jeoungeun: I enjoyed reading Oral history of Architect, Kim Seokyoun (MATI BOOKS, 2024) which was published last November. I think it was because one could say that Kim Seokyoun’s life history represents the entire history of Jeju architecture. In recent years, SPACE has published many articles on Jeju architecture. Most of them are articles charting new housing accommodation, cafés, and private houses designed by architects based in Seoul. Architects working in Jeju today tend to emphasise Jeju’s regional conditions such as materials, position, and climate, and it seemed to me that the answer to where all these interests had originated from could be found in this book.
Woo Don-Son: Jeju is popular among Koreans, and yet the notion of its widespread popularity are largely based on the perspectives of people living in Seoul. The term ‘Jeju’ literally means ‘province across the water’. From its point of origin, how people in Seoul viewed Jeju mattered greatly. Is it fair that everything about Jeju, including its regional characteristics, is subject to a one-sided evaluation from those in Seoul and the mainland? My answer is no. So, how might Jeju come to develop its own attitude towards itself? For this task, Kim Seokyoun became Jeju’s voice. We wanted to shed light on how Jeju’s identity became expressed architecturally throughout Kim’s career. As such, we invited Kim to be the 11th architect in the oral history series by Mokchon Architecture Archive.
Kim Jeoungeun: When you agreed to be a part of this oral history series, what were your thoughts?
Kim Seokyoun: At first, I was quite hesitant. I felt uneasy about being included in this oral history collection project by Mokchon Architecture Archive alongside such illustrious architects who have played such pivotal roles in the Korean architectural scene, particularly as I never placed much importance or meaning on leaving my mark. This was influenced by my father (Cheongtan Kim Gwangchu, 1905 – 1983), who – as I mention in the book – despite being active in art and financially supportive of fellow artists, avoided doing personal exhibitions because he had no desire for fame. An art museum once offered ...
