【Open Lecture】After Ko Yu-seop: Korean Aesthetics in Modern Architecture, Its Shifting Perspectives and Prospects

Open Lecture Information

タイトル/Title:

After Ko Yu-seop:

Korean Aesthetics in Modern Architecture,

Its Shifting Perspectives and Prospects

講師/Lecturer:

KIM, Hyon Sob

Professor, Department of Architecture, Korea University

日時/Day and Time:

Wednesday, 21st October 2026,

10:40-12:40

場所/Venue：

Bldg.26, Basement,Multi-purpose lecture room

Waseda Campus​

言語/Language:

Presented in English (No translation)

入場/Admission:

Free and open to everyone

Abstract:

The distinctive qualities of Korean beauty identified by art historian Ko Yu-seop (高裕燮, 1905–1944) during the Japanese colonial period—notably “gusuhan keun mat (earthy and generous taste)” and “mugigyo-ui gigyo (the art of no artifice)”—became a foundation for understanding traditional Korean architecture. Following Liberation (1945) and the Korean War (1950–1953), however, rapid modernization, industrialization, and urbanization reshaped Korean architecture, creating new aesthetic expressions that reflected the changing character of the times.

This lecture examines how perspectives on “Korean beauty”, or more broadly, “Koreanness”, have evolved over the course of modern Korean architecture and considers its future prospects.