Korean scholars on Tuesday challenged claims circulating on some Chinese online platforms about the origins of Korean architectural traditions, exploring the unique development of styles ranging from ondol, Korea's traditional floor-heating system, to academies and royal palaces.

The Northeast Asian History Foundation hosted the conference at Fraser Place Central Seoul in Jung District, central Seoul. The foundation organized the event to counter claims it describes as historical distortions regarding architectural origins.

The conference, titled "Korean Ways of Life and Thought Embedded in the Spaces of Korean Architectural Culture," was organized by the Northeast Asian History Foundation at Fraser Place Central Seoul. It was planned to counter what the foundation describes as historical distortions by Chinese sources regarding the origins of Korean architecture.

According to the foundation, China's largest search engine, Baidu, describes Changdeok Palace, one of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom's principal royal palaces, as "a Chinese-style palace on the Korean Peninsula, like Gyeongbok Palace." The platform has also repeatedly promoted claims that ondol, Korea's traditional underfloor heating system, is part of China's cultural heritage.

This marks the first time the foundation has held a conference specifically addressing architectural history in response to such claims. It has previously organized similar academic forums on Korean food culture and traditional clothing.

Cho Jae-mo, an architecture professor at Kyungpook National University, said using mountain fortifications to define urban space is a tradition unique to the Korean Peninsula.

"Joseon-era planning and architecture received formal recognition for its distinctiveness with the 1997 UNESCO World Heritage inscription of Changdeok Palace," he said.

Regarding Korean Neo-Confucian academies, or seowon, Cho acknowledged they drew on Chinese precedents but said the addition of the numaru, an elevated wooden-floored pavilion, "represents a distinctive architectural form," arguing that Joseon academies actively selected and developed Chinese styles rather than simply copying them.

Kim Bong-ryeol, professor emeritus of architecture at Korea National University of Arts, highlighted the distinctive spatial order of Jongmyo Shrine.

"Although the Confucian institution of the royal ancestral shrine originated in China, the Joseon Kingdom created a unique system by permanently enshrining all royal ancestral tablets, including those recognized posthumously (a practice known as bulcheonwi)," Kim said. "Constructing the shrine in a separate area from the main palace also set it apart from its Chinese origins."

Jeon Bong-hee, an architecture professor at Seoul National University, addressed ondol, a point of contention since China pushed its Northeast Project in the early 2000s. Jeon said ondol developed from jjokgudeul, an early system that heated only part of a room, which was shared regionally. Jeon explained this precursor evolved into ondol on the Korean Peninsula and the kang, a raised heated platform used in northern China, while disappearing in Japan.

"Ondol is a defining feature of hanok, traditional Korean houses," Jeon said. "It influenced their overall design and remains the most essential element in Korean housing today."

History professor Yeo Ho-gyu of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and professor Shin Seon-hye of Honam University discussed the uniqueness of ancient royal palaces on the Korean Peninsula and the characteristics of Buddhist architecture, respectively. Na Gak-sun, a former senior researcher at the Seoul Historiography Institute, refuted Chinese claims by focusing on walled capital cities and fortress architecture.

"We expect this academic conference to enhance public understanding and interest in the historical significance and originality of Korean architectural culture, and to provide an opportunity to view cultural disputes from an objective, academic standpoint," a foundation official said. The foundation plans to publish the conference proceedings in book form.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.