Abstract
Korean Folk Village was founded in 1974 as the first open-air museum in Korea. It consists of over one hundred traditional Korean houses and buildings. Most of structures in the Village were reproduced or newly constructed in traditional style. Some houses were used as craft shop and folklore performance. Preservation of vernacular architecture by the government began in the late 1960s in Korea. The development of the Village was initiated by the central government for the sake of attracting both the foreign and domestic tourists. Park Chung-hee administration focused on national culture to justify their dictatorship. The government drove a very rapid economic growth in the 1970s and Korean society was in the midst of modernization leaving many traditional landscapes behind in the memory. The Village was aimed to appeal the Korean people's nostalgia and at the same time to combine their folk into the modern nation.