| Title |
North Korean Architect Bang Deok-geun: Between the Periphery and the Center |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2025.41.5.153 |
| Keywords |
North Korea; Architecture; Housing; Architectural Historian; Traditional Architecture |
| Abstract |
This study focuses on Bang Deok-geun, a North Korean architect who was active from the post-liberation period through the 2000s. He is
characterized as an intermediary figure, working both at the center and on the margins of North Korea’s architectural landscape. Educated at
the Harbin Institute of Technology during the Japanese colonial era, Bang played a significant role in shaping North Korean architecture after
liberation. His early positions included professor at the Pyongyang Institute of Technology and vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the
Korean Architects Union. Bang was active in various areas, including architectural design and education, but his work in architectural history
is particularly noteworthy. His research on traditional housing began in the mid-1950s and gradually expanded into broader studies, resulting
in numerous publications on architectural history beyond residential architecture. Studying Bang Deok-geun offers valuable insight into the
diversity of North Korean architectural figures, an area that remains largely underexplored. |