ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how the genkan, the distinctive Japanese building element, was adapted for use in Korean houses and converted into the hyun-gwan in the early twentieth century. Park Kil-ryong is an indispensable figure to describe the modern history of Korean architecture, because he was the first modern Korean architect in Korea. Park spread his theory to newspapers and magazines while he was criticizing the so-called Culture Houses of the 1920s. According to this theory, dwelling reform has to improve the lives of its inhabitants and the process of reform should be scientific and efficient. When Park Kil-ryong suggested the introduction of the hyun-gwan, he considered the Japanese genkan as an alternative model for Korean housing, because of the Japanese lifestyle was similar to the Korean lifestyle. The comparison between the sedentary and the Western lifestyle, this issue is a very important subject to examine when studying the identity of Korean housing in general.
