Recently, an article appeared in The Korea Times discussing the increasing popularity of television programs that showcase the homes of others. As a partial explanation, the article noted: “In Korea, people have long been fascinated by homes — not only as places of rest, but also as symbols of lifestyle, taste and financial success.” In the late 19th century, however, not everyone was willing to display their homes or courtyards to strangers. Many early Western visitors to the peninsula commented on the high walls surrounding Korean houses and the exteriors which seemed dilapidated and uninviting. Even the residences of the upper class looked rundown, as if they had long been neglected or were badly in need of paint. When the Rev. John Wolfe, an Englishman, visited Korea in the summer of 1885, he described Korean homes as being “very mean and poor on the outside” but “extremely neat and tidy” on the inside. Only later did it occur to these Western observers that this was less a matter of neglect and indifference than of prudence. An open display of wealth invited unwanted
