Review: Architecture and Urbanism in Modern Korea by Inha Jung

Inha Jung’s Architecture and Urbanism in Modern Korea is a comprehensive overview of Korean architecture and urbanism from the late nineteenth century to the present. This text, the first survey of its kind in English, offers a thorough examination of the built environment of modern Korea by systemically moving from larger urban issues to vernacular housing and canonical architectural designs. Based on the assumption that architectural trends have kept in line with the formation of urban space, the book provides a detailed analysis of planning idioms and regulatory regimes that resulted in the significant changes of urban structure of the 1930s, 1970s, and the early twenty-first century. Equal emphasis is given to the historical transformation of urban housing from urban hanok to apartment buildings. Close analysis of the changing patterns of residential space not only adds to our understanding of everyday urban life but also offers a wealth of insight...