Do you know Jeong Se-kwon, Joseon's first developer who built the Bukchon and Ikseon-dong Hanok Villages, beloved by people all over the world?
The only book that sheds light on Jeong Se-gwon, a great businessman and nationalist who built a house north of the Han River during the Japanese colonial period to block Japan's advance northward, and led the Korean Products Promotion Movement and the Korean Language Society.


The large-scale Hanok villages located in Bukchon and Ikseon-dong are today Korea's representative tourist destinations and a 'hot place' visited by travelers from all over the world.
The hanok houses here, which see thousands of people coming and going every day, retain their traditional charm while also presenting a unique landscape of small houses built close together.
But when and by whom was this traditional yet unique Hanok village created? This book begins with that very question.
Through further research, the author discovered that this beautiful Hanok Village actually originated from the dream and mission of a genius developer who sought to provide a place for the powerless and impoverished common people of Gyeongseong to live during the Japanese colonial period.

At that time, Koreans were in danger of being driven out of Gyeongseong because they could not find housing.
At this time, developer Jeong Se-kwon, who appeared like a comet, purchased the large hanoks and land in Bukchon, which were in danger of being taken away by the Japanese, and developed them into a large hanok complex where multiple generations could live.
In his mind, “Numbers are strength.
There was a firm belief that “the Japanese advance northward must be stopped.”
If he had not purchased the land in Bukchon and built a hanok, the Bukchon scenery we are walking through today might have been a complex of Japanese confiscated houses.
Even after amassing great wealth through the housing business, Jeong Se-kwon took a different path from the nouveau riche.
He supported the 'Joseon Products Promotion Movement' with the belief that "Joseon people should use Joseon products" and directly participated in its management.
And he supported the Korean Language Society in both material and spiritual ways, but the price he paid was harsh.
He was brutally tortured in the 'Joseon Language Society Incident', and the Japanese took away his vast assets and blocked his development projects.
In the end, Korea's first development company, Geonyangsa, which he founded, was destined to decline, and Jeong Se-kwon was forgotten in history.

This book is unique in that it comprehensively studies fragmentary records of Jeong Se-kwon found in the fields of architecture, history, and Korean literature.
When his appearance is fully realized in three dimensions, we cannot help but wonder why we have not remembered him until now.
As you walk along the streets of the beautiful Hanok Village, anyone will now recall the three characters of the name ‘Jeong Se-kwon.’

As a scholar analyzing the real estate market, my interest naturally led to the question, "So who on earth first developed this gem of a place?"
The investigation revealed that the developer who developed 166 Ikseon-dong is the same person who developed 31 Gahoe-dong, the center of Bukchon Hanok Village today - a popular photo spot with Namsan in the background.
Furthermore, I learned that he was the person who led the development of Hanok throughout Seoul, and I intuitively deduced that “he might be a great person.”
--- From the "Prologue"

The solution to the Japanese housing problem actually meant solving the Japanese housing shortage, and one of the strategies to achieve this was the Japanese advance northward (advancement into Bukchon).
As a result, Koreans in Gyeongseong were struggling with the housing shortage problem and were being driven out of their hometown of Bukchon.
Therefore, from the Joseon people's perspective, there was a desperate need for a force or organization that could solve these problems.
In this gloomy atmosphere of the times, a new organization emerged to serve the Korean housing market. It was a new class of Korean capitalists, including Jeong Se-kwon of Geonyangsa, that was the new modern developers.
Given the growing population, they believed that housing development and operation could be economically successful, and some entered the business with a sense of national calling to protect the country.
--- From "Chapter 1" p.47-48

Jeong Se-kwon cited the advantages of Geonyang housing as being hygienic, practical, and economical.
They attempted to solve the sanitary problems of existing Hanoks by installing plumbing facilities inside the Hanok, laying tiles on the kitchen floor, and installing a coal stove.
The south side, which receives plenty of sunlight, was designed to be spacious, and spaces such as rooms and kitchens were arranged in a hierarchical manner to ensure efficient movement within the house.
And the dining room, laundry room, and sewer were all conveniently located adjacent to the kitchen, which used water.
--- p.105 From Chapter 2

Amid the turmoil of World War II, the Japanese plan to build a large-scale Japanese residential complex along the Namsan Circular Road was never properly implemented.
If Japan had used the enormous financial power of the Oriental Development Company to purchase a large amount of land in the Wangsimni area and completed the development of Japanese residential complexes in Wangsimni and Bomun-dong, Koreans would have been forced to live in the Bukchon area within the Sadamun Gate, and the Japanese residential areas would have spatially surrounded the Korean residential areas.
This could also lead to the fragmentation of Korean residential complexes, as can be seen in the situation where poor Koreans were being driven out to areas further from Gyeongseong.
Therefore, the ‘Wangsimni Land War’ between Jeong Se-kwon and the Oriental Development Company has significant significance in the history of urban planning and development.
--- p.313 From Chapter 2

Most of the positions held by Jeong Se-kwon were those of accounting and finance director, providing financial support for the organization's activities.
During the chilling Japanese colonial period, it was extremely risky for a capitalist running a large corporation, especially a real estate businessman who needed government approval, to openly take charge of the finances of various organizations and provide financial support.
That's why his role shines even more.
In addition to these official records, there are testimonies from family members that he supported the families of independence activists in Manchuria.
--- p.136 From Chapter 3

The Great Depression that swept the world also caused a recession in Joseon, and the real estate market stagnated.
Even as his business was declining, Jeong Se-kwon was investing a huge amount of money into the Joseon Products Promotion Association.
As business stagnated due to the worsening external environment, they were pouring money into the Joseon Products Promotion Association, so even the biggest capitalists could not avoid financial losses.
In particular, in addition to a real estate development company called Geonyangsa, he also ran a separate company called Jangsansa to support the Joseon Products Promotion Association.
As the management situation worsened, it is said that Geonyangsa's capital was reduced to 80,000 won and its debt reached 100,000 won.
--- p.166 From Chapter 3

Jeong Se-kwon made various financial contributions to the activities of the Korean Language Society.
He built and donated the academic society hall at 129 Hwadong, Jongno-gu, and served as one of the five directors of the Joseon Memorial Book Publishing House, making financial contributions to various activities.
Considering the background and activities of the participants in the Korean Language Society from the Japanese perspective, the cost of establishing the Korean Language Society building and supporting various activities were on a par with supporting the independence movement.
Therefore, the price for these activities (donating the building of the Korean Language Society, serving as a director of the Joseon Memorial Book Publishing House, and supporting the Korean Standard Language Committee) was the brutal torture and theft of property due to the Korean Language Society incident.

--- p.186-187 From Chapter 3