The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister Kim Hyun-mi) has selected a total of four educational institutions (two courses) as part of the 2019 ‘Hanok Specialist Training Program,’ which is being pursued to popularize and industrialize hanok (traditional Korean houses).
The selected institutions comprise three for the hanok design specialist course—the Korean Institute of Registered Architects, Chonnam National University, and Chonbuk National University—and one for the hanok construction manager course, the Hanok Cultural Center. Going forward, they will select trainees and begin training hanok specialists from June.
These institutions, chosen following a review by a selection committee (external experts) on April 22, will receive a total of 425 million won in educational funding. The 30 to 40 trainees selected by each institution can receive training free of charge or at actual cost, such as a nominal fee for materials (design specialist course).
For the hanok design specialist course, in addition to an introductory course to cultivate on-site adaptability, an advanced course (Chonbuk National University) will also be operated to enhance the overall quality of the training. The hanok construction manager course is planned to be run so that trainees can develop comprehensive management skills for construction sites—such as calculating material quantities and placing orders—enabling them to carry out on-site management tasks such as process control.
Trainee selection will be carried out through recruitment announcements in May in line with each institution’s planned schedule, with training beginning in earnest from June.
The training programs will be conducted in consideration of the target trainees and characteristics of each course. Along with diverse and practical content such as special lectures by hanok experts, field practice, and site visits, they will also include community service programs such as repairing old houses.
For detailed information such as trainee eligibility and detailed schedules, please check the website of the relevant educational institution or contact the Korean Institute of Registered Architects (02-3415-6858), Chonnam National University (062-530-0879), Chonbuk National University (063-219-5206), or the Hanok Cultural Center (02-741-7441).
Kim Sang-mun, Director General for Architecture Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “We expect that this program will enable us to stably supply high-quality hanok suited to the lifestyles of modern people,” adding, “We plan to continuously train excellent hanok specialists so that hanok, our unique form of architecture, can be quickly established as an alternative for future housing.”