ABSTRACT
In his March 1947 essay “The Path of Architects Today,” published in the first issue of Korean Architecture, official journal of Korean Architectural Engineering Group, architect Lee Cheonsung argued that architects were technical experts specializing in modern technology, which separated them from carpenters or commercial contractors. In Korea, the practice of modern architecture as a profession traces back to the Japanese colonial period. The increasing emphasis on the artistic dimensions of architecture is generally thought to have been an attempt to raise the social status of the fledgling profession, elevating architects from mere physical laborers to highly cultivated gentlemen. The world of Korean architecture has become more polarized between large corporate practices and atelier-type activities. While the large firms and construction companies continue to monopolize major building projects, individual architects continue to receive opportunities for more artistic and cultural commissions.
