Imcheonggak House, Andong

Imcheonggak is the head house of the Goseong Yi clan, set on the slope of Yeongnamsan on the eastern edge of Andong and looking out over the Nakdong River. A family home from the middle of the Joseon period surviving to this day would be rare enough, but this one matters for another reason: it is where Yi Sang-ryong, the first State Councillor of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was born and raised. The house was cut apart because of the independence movement and is only now being made whole again, so a single home carries layers of modern Korean history.

History: a 99-bay house and the independence movement

Imcheonggak was built in 1519, the 14th year of King Jungjong, by Yi Myeong, an official of the Ministry of Punishments. Some sources give 1515 instead. The name comes from a line in Tao Yuanming's poem "Returning Home": "I come to the clear stream and compose a poem." The main hall, men's quarters, shrine, servants' wing and pavilion stand on terraces stepped into the hillside, and the house is often described as a 99-bay home. The main quarters and Gunjajeong became a Treasure in 1963, and in 2002 the listing was renamed simply "Imcheonggak, Andong" so that the whole house would be protected together.

Yi Sang-ryong, the eldest heir of the clan, joined the righteous army as the country fell into crisis, then moved to Manchuria, founded the Gyeonghaksa association and established the Sinheung Military Academy, laying the groundwork for the armed independence struggle. When funds ran out in Manchuria he decided to sell Imcheonggak and drew up sale contracts several times without success, until the clan raised part of the money for him. The house is said to have produced nine independence activists. In 1942 the colonial authorities ran the Jungang railway line across the front of the property, demolishing some 50 bays of servants' quarters and outbuildings, which left a house of about 70 bays cut off from the river.

What to see

• Gunjajeong: The house's detached pavilion, a T-shaped raised building from the middle Joseon period, three bays wide and two deep under a hipped-and-gabled roof. A south-facing wooden hall is joined on the west by a T-shaped heated wing, giving four rooms inside, and a veranda with railing runs all round, reached by two flights of stone steps.
• Servants' wing and walls: The long row of rooms visible over the wall from the road still gives a sense of how large the house once was.
• Where the railway used to be: The old Jungang line tracks were removed in 2021. The land in front has been regraded with a walking path and car park, and two reconstructed houses on either side are due by 2027. The restoration began in 2017 with a total budget of KRW 28 billion.
• History and Culture Hall: An exhibition building on Yi Sang-ryong's life, the independence movement and the history of the house, with two floors below ground and one above (870.2 m²). It opened on a temporary basis in summer 2026 ahead of a formal opening.
• Seven-story Brick Pagoda at Beopheungsa Temple Site: A National Treasure a few minutes' walk away. Built of clay bricks in the Unified Silla period and 17 m tall, it is counted among the largest and oldest brick pagodas in Korea. Granite slabs carved with the Eight Guardian Deities and Four Heavenly Kings surround its base. Inspections have called for conservation work, so scaffolding or screens may be in place.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: Entry is free and the house can be visited year-round, but descendants still look after it, so access may be restricted at the owner's discretion. Keep your voice down when looking into the rooms.
• Works in progress: Landscaping and the reconstructed houses are still under construction, so some areas may be fenced off.
• Time needed: 60 to 90 minutes covers the house, the pagoda and the exhibition hall. It is close to central Andong and pairs easily with Hahoe Village or Dosan Seowon.
• When to go: Late-afternoon light over the river is best. During the Woryeong Night Walk festival in summer the area gets crowded.