March 4 - Jeju Island, Part 2

Our next stop was at Seongeup Folk Village. This early housing demonstrated how families lived in “compounds” with 4 buildings around a small square. The main house was for the parents with a bedroom, living room and privy. The building across from this was for the eldest son and his family. I don’t know where other sons lived when they married. Daughters moved into their husband’s family compound. A second building housed the kitchen and dining area. The fourth structure was for cattle. I am attaching pictures of the houses. The thatched roofs had to be replaced EVERY year! The area has a lot of rain and high winds. You can see that the buildings are sturdy, built from basalt stone, a hard, dark volcanic rock embedded in volcanic soil and mud. Some structures were raised to prevent the flooding on the wooden floors. Buildings not raised had dirt floors.