Abstract
Seowons were first established during the Koryo Dynasty and contain primate shrines for the service of ancestors and ancient sages. Seowons were located in a scenic or rural place some distance from a residential area. The direct motive for building the Seowon came from the need for transcendental concealment and evasive retirement which developed as a result of oppression of scholars The indirect motivations were the development of loaming in an idyllic natural settings and the creation of a beautiful natural environment. he purpose of tai study is to investigate the characteristics and transformation process of the location of Seowon in the Chosen dynasty. The results of this research are summarized as fellows : 1. Seowons were in hilly areas with good geographical features including a nice view of the mountains and waters. Beowons were also built on the relation place of an ancient sage and of destroyed Buddist temples. 2. The location patterns of seowon in the Choson dynasty underwent three stages with the change of time Political and social phenomena influenced the transformation of the location patterns Research in this area is at an early stage. The present study was confined to an examination of 7he characteristics and transformation process of the location of seowons. However, it is hoped that this study will offer meaningful guide for further research.