Korea has pursued Western-oriented esthetics while going through foreign invasion throughout its history and eventually rapid economic development. We have unquestionably embraced Western architecture, products and even a set of values from the leading country in lieu of preserving our own. This has led us to the choices that are more efficient and economically beneficial at the expense of maintaining our traditions.
These choices caused a wide array of problems that still linger in our society. Besides other complicated factors, our uncritical choices that only seek allegedly beneficial things without having a core value resulted in social issues such as generational or regional conflicts.
However, the voice to return to fundamentals is rising. The old beauty and traditional values are paid attention to in collaboration with modern necessity to create new trends. These trends are represented in supporting community and togetherness, by protecting old buildings and polishing them up. This new trend is also growing in the B&B market, providing design, reasonable prices, and above all, the stories and values that are unique to each community.
Gurume Resort in Andong shows a new B&B concept as a traditional old house and a resort. The uncommon combination of these two concepts, traditional house and resort, displays Gurume’s vision for tradition and modernity to coexist. Maximizing advantages and minimizing drawbacks, Gurume Resort stands firm in Andong, the self-proclaimed "capital city of Korean spiritual culture."
people
Where Traditional Value Coexists With Modern Convenience
Among four parties: the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, City of Andong, and SK Happiness Foundation made Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create Gurume. Three years of relentless work and preparation saw Gurume finally open in July 2014. The cooperative project under the socially beneficial goal of a private company working together with local governments was intriguing enough to look more into who is involved in this project.
SK Happiness Foundation founded a social enterprise, Happy Traditional Village, in 2012 in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and City of Andong. Gurume is the first project in line with the mission to try to develop cultural programs, sustain and cultivate traditional culture with old traditional houses that are historically, academically, and esthetically pleasing. The task force created specifically for the Gurume project put a lot of effort in branding and managed to underscore the meaning of the traditional houses. A lot of planning was required to maintain the historical value of the house, and equally important, also enhance its quality as a B&B.
Architect Kim Chan-jung from The System Lab took a lead for Gurume’s planning. His planning involved ideas that overcame the downsides and at the same time make the full use of the advantages of a traditional house rather than simply reproducing or restoring it. The outside toilet is brought into the house, supplemented with advanced insulation. While the place offers the same look and experience, invisible modern materials take care of the inconvenience usually accompanied with an older structure.
Traditional house resort Gurume aims to connect tradition and modernity, and preserve the value of an old traditional house while still giving the comfort and service that modern people look for and eventually encouraging repeat visitors. Three years of operation allowed a lot of visitors to experience the traditional house, which seems to be attributed to the people who worked tirelessly. From the beginning to current operation, Gurume brought Andong locals to the project and in result contributed to more jobs and a more dynamic economy in the community—true creation of social value.
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GURUME
location
Gurume, Embracing Andong Dam Once Again
Andong is a city where history and cultural heritage from a range of different eras are well maintained as well as old traditional houses. However, it’s rare that those houses are utilized. Most of the houses are available only for sightseeing, and even when it is open to the public to staying the night, inconvenient aspects of these houses don’t bring them back for another visit. Under these circumstances, the biggest challenge Gurume faced was how to convey the real beauty and value of traditional houses while still making it an appealing place to stay. In this sense, merely restoring and preserving was not the way to go.
Where Gurume Resort is currently located used to be somewhere else. The traditional houses in Gurume, with its history traced back 200 to 400 years ago, were scattered where the Andong Dam now lies. When the Andong Dam plan was confirmed in 1945, the traditional houses holding the historical value were transferred to their current location.
While the tour was available at the Outdoor Exhibition Hall of the Andong Folk Museum, there was still a difficulty delivering what these houses mean to people. Absent of management and not being able to draw attention from the public, they remained neglected like abandoned houses. This is where the concept of traditional old house resort started, from the partnership among the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, City of Andong, and SK Happiness Foundation. They prioritized staying a night at the place to let people know the value and advantage of these old houses.
They assiduously worked to create a positive cycle that guests can enjoy the unique experience and revisit the resort to relish what only the traditional can offer that has endured throughout time. It’s quite impressive that the traditional houses, once in danger of being flooded, are now delivering the value of time and tradition to new generations by embracing the Andong Dam and being recreated as a B&B at its current location.
MAKING STORY
Outside, Gurume remains the same as a traditional house, which is the result of the intentional design to preserve its look. The architect Kim Chan-jung from The System Lab wanted the house to remain beautiful like a traditional house, but at the same time, to make it clean and convenient for modern people. To execute his idea, he took advantage of modern construction materials while keeping the structure of a traditional house. The convenience includes changing the location of the bathroom to inside the house, as opposed to the outside which a lot of people found uncomfortable.
It also includes the addition of the outside glass shutter to the door, which is hidden to update traditional style door knob, often considered inadequate for privacy, as well as provide better insulation. Modern systems such as insulation, water proof materials and electricity are also used to minimize undesirable features of a traditional house. Turning down the overhead lighting creates the mysterious vibe of a traditional house. These well thought out and considerate features give a clue to how traditional and modern techniques can be balanced together.
The nature of the MOU project among four parties didn’t make the process easy, but a lot of research, meetings and discussions initiated the project in the right direction. “Gurume” meaning “in the clouds” in Korean, was named to describe the place floating above the clouds when it’s misty out near the Andong Dam. The name also sounds like “gourmet,” implying their hope to provide sophisticated and elegant services to guests.
The priority of the project was to revitalize the meaning of the traditional houses and let people realize the value and encourage repeat visits to achieve sustainability. In order to do so, they examined other examples of hotels and resorts. However, old traditional houses can’t be approached in a conventional way. Ryokan inspired the project: the ideas of loving and respecting tradition, genuine communication with customers, customer-oriented services were all integrated into their planning and operation.
SPACE
The Space of Emptying and Filling
The two concepts “emptying” and “filling” constitute the space of Gurume. These two concepts are organized in harmony as the space for “emptying” leads to a traditional house stay, and “filling” to a space for traditional experiences. The space for “emptying” provides a rest stop for the mind and body exhausted from fast-paced lives, and “filling” is a wide array of hands-on traditional programs to overcome traditional houses’ limitations.
Gurume features 12 guest rooms in total in 7 houses. With the oldest houses traced all the way back to 200 to 400 years ago, each space portrays different layers of history and tradition: family houses where generations of families all lived together, shrines for memorial services, and pavilions for a rest stop. Relatively large-sized traditional houses include Gyenam and Chilgok Traditional House, suitable for a big family or multiple families. Each family house has 3 guest rooms. The considerate design allowed guests not to overlap with each other when other guests stay in another house. Two shrines include Palhoedang Shrine and Gamdong Shrine. The former consists of two guest rooms, a main house and an outhouse. The latter is an independent single house.
Guests will never feel uncomfortable from the disadvantages of old traditional houses: each guestroom has modern style toilet and bathroom, and in-between door is made with glass. Not noticeable from outside, but hidden details show how sophisticated it is. All three pavilions are unshared houses, making it adequate for couples. Baksan and Cheongong Pavilion are located on the highest land where guests can appreciate the landscape through the window. Guests can even enjoy a bath in a sunlit bath tub in Seoun Pavilion, which is unusual for a traditional house.
Across the house is a traditional cultural experience space that also holds a breakfast dining room, and a book café. A conference hall that can accommodate a large size convention is also used for events like workshops or seminars. Breakfast at Gurume is all made with local Andong ingredients with Andong recipes. This high quality breakfast, catering to everyone’s taste, is one of the most popular services. Gurume Off, the book café in Gurume is a perfect place to enjoy well-curated books with cups of tea or coffee. The view of the traditional houses shows a cozy and calm atmosphere from the café that can’t be easily found elsewhere.
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INTERVIEW
Interview with Gwon Kyong-eun, the director of Gurume Resort
stayfolio
GURUME
Would you like to introduce yourself?
Hello, I’m Gwon Kyong-eun, the director of Gurume Resort. I joined from the beginning with the first branch of Happy Traditional Village Foundation created in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, City of Andong, and SK Happiness Foundation.
What a coincidence, what brought you this far?
Andong is my hometown. I majored in Accounting and used to work at a bank in Daegu. I was a bearer of the Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori (Korean masked dance-drama), which is also registered on the Intangible Cultural Heritage. I’d been doing mask dancing for 20 years and I spent more time on this than work. This is how much I loved the traditional culture. It led me to the Hahoe Village guide work in Andong, and eventually to where I am now. I still think it’s interesting how it worked out that way.
The background of Gurume seems quite intriguing, can you explain it briefly?
The construction of Andong Dam flooded the adjacent regions. The flood area also included the traditional houses that are valuable to cultural heritage, and they were in danger of being lost. To save the houses, Andong City initially tried to move the houses to another location. They used them as the Outdoor Exhibition Hall of the Andong Folk Museum but it fell short on expectations. That’s when four parties from government and private sectors hopped on building “Happy Traditional Village Foundation” through MOU. If traditional houses don’t meet the needs for current trends, however valuable they are culturally and traditionally, they are hard to utilize, and Gurume was the result of overcoming that part.
Places you were showing me around today were impressive. Would you like to introduce them?
Gurume is the place where traditional houses embraced the Andong Dam in the middle of the crisis. There are two parts in Gurume. One is a traditional house stay, under the theme of “emptying,” encouraging visitors to empty their stress of everyday life and negative energies. When they are ready to “fill” again, a traditional cultural experience space will replenish their heart with positive energy with a variety of cultural programs.
The resort has 7 houses in total: a family house where two or three generations lived together, an ancestral shrine for memorial services, and three types of pavilion used for studying. The spaces are as old as 200 to 400 years, some of which are acclaimed and designated as Cultural Heritage of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. We built a new traditional house as a traditional cultural space to let visitors try a variety of activities.
What distinguishes Gurume from other resorts?
I think what makes Gurume special is how it bridges tradition and modernity. We are aware that other traditional houses are well operated, but facilities and services leave room for improvement that would better serve modern people’s demands. To make up for it, we tried to find the balance between traditional and modern pieces.
What did you highlight to connect tradition and modernity?
Our first assignment was to find out what left guests uncomfortable while staying in a traditional house. According to our comprehensive research and survey, we learned that a lot of people didn’t have good experience with the toilet, breakfast and how clean the room was. The outside toilet caused privacy issues, and they felt like bed sheets were not washed each time they were used. They were also disappointed when they expected to have a home-style meal at a traditional house but couldn’t. When we identified the problems, we prioritized to tackle them. We made a bold move by dedicating one room to a toilet, set up a system we can wash the bed sheets every day, and lastly, used fresh local ingredients to make a hearty breakfast.
Was there a motif or inspirational project?
Japanese Ryokan inspired us in a lot of ways. In particular, their service was something to learn. Love for tradition, communication with customers about what’s valuable, and ways to satisfy customers were all very impressive. We wanted to learn these aspects from them and make our own version. Other traditional house stays, hotels, and resorts were the benchmark for Gurume. We learned from trial and error and created a style that is unique to our own to present a refreshing experience to customers. We think about what is right for Gurume and pay attention to our customers’ feedback. I think that’s what made Gurume today.
What was the most memorable experience while you manage Gurume?
All the customers who visited Gurume. From the extended families who enjoy their stay at the family house to a customer who immigrated and hasn’t been back to Korea in a while to spend a great time with her sister. I tried to communicate with customers as much as possible. It helps me to provide the customized services to each guest’s preferences and needs. What I learned from managing Gurume is that when I engage with people, I should do it genuinely. This lesson is ingrained in my heart and I try to provide the best service with care. I hope Gurume guests find their experience satisfying.
STAY’s recommended Local Destination
Buyongdae in Hahoe Folk Village
A cliff offering a panoramic view of Hahoe Folk Village
Byeongsan Seowon
Known to house Mandaeru Pavilion that offers a view of the waves of volcanic mountains and Nakdong River
Dosan Seowon
Disciples of a prominent Confucian scholar Yi Hwang built this seowon (Confucian school and shrine) in recognition of his teacher.
STAY’s recommended Local Restaurant
New Seoul Sikdang
A restaurant with a three-piece set of Andong galbi (marinated pork rib) located in Galbi Alley
Heungsil Sanggogi
Chewy pieces of raw beef called Moongtigi is fantastic here.
Haemul Mongttang Kalguksu
You can enjoy kalguksu (noodle soup) topped with abundant seafood at this restaurant near the resort.
STAY
Serene Time at a Traditional House
Surrounded by gray concrete walls and loud sounds of cars incessantly passing by, cities expose us to constant stimulation in everyday life. This makes me want to sit back and relax in serene nature full of trees. With the scent of trees gently spread through Korean traditional houses, the rest heals my body and mind. That’s what led me to Gurume Resort in Andong. The picture of old traditional houses huddled around shallow hills at the foot of the mountain was enough to bring me rest and tranquility.
We headed to Andong, with the sweltering heat of summer still present. My heart pounded even from the beginning of my trip, seeing the open landscape and blue mountains reflecting the sky. The staff in a modernized hanbok (Korean traditional attire) at Gurume welcomed us to the gate as we arrived. When we wondered where the front desk was, the staff pointed at the thatched house near the entrance. It’s impressive everything works in harmony here. The staff instructed us to check in and we headed to the reserved house.
The places we chose were Gyenam Traditional House that used to accommodate large families back in old times, and Cheongong Pavilion that has simple and graceful beauty. The deep scent of trees by the two houses immediately relaxed our mind as soon as we set foot inside. The 8th grandson of Yi Hwang, one of the most prominent Korean Confucian scholars, built Gyenam Traditional House as a main family house. It was registered as Gyeongsangbuk-do Province Folklore Material No. 8 in recognition of its traditional value as a 200 year-old house. I felt the dignity of the old family’s head house on my skin. The open wooden floor in the very front of the house brought in cool air despite the summer heat.
Another house, Cheongong Pavilion, is situated on a slightly higher land. In the shape of a straight line, it boasts its simplistic esthetics. It has preserved its tradition for 300 years since it was used as a pavilion by a civil official Cheongong Lee Hu-young in the late Joseon era. It has one room and a bathroom, and an open floor. The view of the other houses from the wooden floor is unlike anything else I’ve seen. The bathroom window offered the same view. If this is the first thing I see in the morning every day, my mind would be purified.
The modernized features of the traditional houses thoughtfully serve modern people’s needs and convenience. A refurbished bathroom is not only clean but in no way incongruous with the house. AC units and heaters help visitors have sound sleep.
Casually looking around the place, we entered the book café, Gurume Off, located at the new traditional house across the B&B houses. We talked over a cup of tea at the café. The view of the houses on the other side and the collection of curated books held me long at this place without a moment to get bored. I went back to the house and laid down in the living room, or read a book at the wooden porch—a moment of serenity. It’s hard to believe these houses would’ve been drowned and lost. I felt grateful for the people who worked relentlessly to secure this place for this special and precious time.
PM 4:00
Warm Welcome,
Like Visiting an Old Village
When we arrived, a staff in a modernized hanbok greeted us. He said he will carry our bags to our room by electric cart. As I was wondering where the front desk was, I realized the small thatched house at the entrance was the front desk. I felt like visiting an affectionate old village. Great service with the balance of tradition and modernity calmed me down.
PM 5:00
Off Line,
On Reading
After looking around the houses and enjoying our stroll, we headed to the book café, Gurume Off, built on their concept of “filling.” In the newly built traditional house, the café offered a calm and quiet view of the traditional houses over the wide window and large table. Seeing my go-to books already ready here surprised me. We enjoyed the books with a cup of tea, fully relishing this calm moment.
PM 9:00
Another Face
of the House at Night
The house takes on a different vibe at night. Indirect lighting subtly brightened up the house, creating a dreamy atmosphere. A refreshing air blowing through the open wooden floor and porch was so pleasant. We laid down on the floor, wrapped in snug bed sheets, and fell asleep as we conversed and looked upon the stars.
AM 8:30
Healthy Breakfast Made With Local Ingredients
When sleep freshened me up, I was ready for breakfast. Mist brought from the Andong Dam made me feel like I was in the clouds. Breakfast at Gurume was prepared by Andong locals with care, using fresh home-grown ingredients. A variety of side dishes along with hot soup and rice cleansed my spirit. Sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch) was also served as dessert.
AM 11:00
Departing,
but Expecting to Return
I wished I could stay longer, but it was time to leave. A night at a traditional house, that accumulated the values of traditions, was a priceless experience. The balance between tradition and modernity raised my appreciation of this experience. The service of the staff and dreamy vibe of the traditional house couldn’t be found elsewhere. We leave here, looking forward to reuniting with Gurume.
4 POINT OF VIEW
ORIGINALITY
New Take on a Traditional House Stay
Traditional house resort Gurume thinks outside the box and achieves the harmony between tradition and modernity. Adjusting some features to modern people’s needs, while maintaining the value and tradition of the houses, lets visitors maximize their experience at these traditional houses. I wholeheartedly support the mission of Gurume that accomplished sustainability to its essence beyond mere reproduction and restoration.
DESIGN
Bridge Between Tradition and Modernity
Gurume Resort was brought in the world as a cooperative project between public and private sectors. Sophisticated details that leave traces of many people’s thoughts and actions to find the right balance between modernity and tradition are truly fascinating. The essence of Gurume organically delivers the spirit of “create the new by learning from the old” to visitors.
Hospitality
Andong’s Genuine Warm Welcome
All elements of Gurume are run by Andong locals. To convey the beauty and value of Andong traditional houses, a number of Andong locals take part in Gurume, trying to provide the best service to the customers. Breakfast made with fresh Andong local ingredients is also part of it. You’ll be able to feel the genuine warmth of Andong from check-in to check-out.
PRICE
Enjoy a Traditional House, a Reasonable Choice
A variety of room types cater to all ages and visitors from extended families to couples. Anyone would find it satisfying at a traditional house where dated inconvenient aspects are renovated while maintaining the glamor of the house. A traditional house stay will certainly be a reasonable choice where you can be comfortable and appreciate the value of the time.