Centuries-old house of Confucian scholars, freedom fighters to be listed as folklore heritage

Samsan House of the Jeonju Ryu clan in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province (Korea Heritage Service)

A 17th-century house in Korea home to Confucian scholars and independence fighters will be named National Folklore Cultural Heritage.

According to the Korea Heritage Service, Samsan House of the Jeonju Ryu clan in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, is significant in that it has kept a shrine for prominent Confucian scholars like Ryu Jeong-won, nicknamed Samsan. He taught Crown Prince Sado, the second son of King Yeongjo of Joseon (1724-1776).

The house also was a birthplace of at least 10 freedom activists who fought against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, the agency said.

The house, believed to have been built in 1693, has architectural value too, the agency added, saying the five structures on the compound “visibly demonstrate a clear boundary of inside and outside,” the hallmark of the noble class residence in the late Joseon period.

The house will be officially designated after a 30-day public review period, provided no major objections are filed with the Korea Heritage Service.