※ This video is an excerpt from *Architectural Exploration: Houses - Do Houses Have an Expiration Date?*, which aired on July 14, 2026.

Near the Gwangneung Forest National Arboretum in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, there stands a house that has remained a fixture for 31 years, preserving its appearance from that time, even as old landscapes are disappearing due to the easing of development regulations. When the house was built, the husband, Jeong-tae, was only 37, and his wife, Hyeon-ok, was 33. The only thing the couple agreed on was their philosophy of education. Driven solely by the conviction to raise their children in nature, the couple sold their apartment in Seoul and headed to Pocheon. They built the first house in this neighborhood, where the surroundings were entirely rice paddies and there wasn't even a streetlamp.

This Hanok was constructed using a heavy timber frame structure after they tracked down the artisans who built the Octagonal Pavilion at Gimpo Airport. The roof is covered with glazed red clay tiles, giving it the atmosphere of a European home. At the center of the house, where the main buildings are connected in a 'U' shape, sits a spacious living room resembling a traditional Korean main hall (Daecheongmaru). In the spacious living room, which can accommodate up to 30 people, the entire family would gather during the holidays, and sometimes they even held concerts with neighborhood friends.

With over thirty years of history, the pillars and floors of a wooden house were bound to show signs of wear and decay here and there. To ensure her parents would spend their retirement in this house, the second daughter, Yeobin, who majored in architecture, set out to remodel it with her architect friends. In the kitchen, they removed the walls to leave only the pillars, creating a sense of openness, and ensured convenience by installing a modern bathroom. While the main hall was replaced with new floorboards, the hallway connecting the spaces was preserved in its original form. The same went for the single-pane glass windows, which are vulnerable to drafts. They decided to forgo insulation in order to preserve the house's identity! The reason they left untouched the mother-of-pearl chest in the master bedroom, which is over 60 years old, and even a single sheet of mulberry paper on the ceiling adorned with dried flower petals and leaves, is also clear. This is because this house is not merely a building, but a family museum where their own time flows.

Yunji, the eldest daughter who visits her parents' home in Pocheon from Austria every vacation, says she feels reassured just knowing that the house remains exactly as it was when she returns to Korea. She says she is happy to have a space to share memories with her five-year-old daughter. The three siblings, who consider growing up in this house the greatest fortune of their lives, have already warned their parents: “You must never sell our house!”

A house whose value has grown even more despite the passage of time. What will the family’s sanctuary look like as they look forward to the next 30, 60, and beyond?

▶ Watch Full Version: https://www.ebs.co.kr/

▶ If you want to read the EBS documentary as an article: https://egloos.com/ebsyoutube

✔ Program Name: Architectural Exploration: Houses - Do Houses Have an Expiration Date?

✔ Broadcast Date: July 14, 2026

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