Cho Chung-il Builds Hanok Heritage Resort Around Korean Tradition and Modern Comfort

A $130 Million Project in the Mountains of Yeongwol

On a 337,190 square meter site in the mountains of Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, Cho Chung-il is developing what is described as Korea's largest hanok resort. The $130 million Hanok Heritage project brings traditional Korean wooden architecture into luxury hospitality, with three units operating and plans for 18 to 30 by 2027.

Cho, chairperson of Hanok Heritage and chief executive of fintech company KONA I, wants the development to do more than preserve a familiar roofline. His aim is to make hanok comfortable and desirable for contemporary living while protecting the craftsmanship and cultural identity that give the buildings their value.

As of August 29, 2025, the operating units average 750 square meters each. Private saunas, gardens or terraces, and interiors made from fine pine timbers place the experience firmly in the luxury market. The larger ambition is to show how traditional architecture can remain in everyday use rather than being confined to museums or tourist villages.

The project combines two strands of Cho's work: an interest in Korean heritage and a career in technology. KONA I is a leader in smart card solutions, while the resort applies modern systems to practical concerns such as temperature control and security. Traditional carpentry remains central to the buildings themselves.

Cho's plans also extend beyond Yeongwol. New York and Paris are under consideration for future Hanok Heritage projects, intended to introduce the experience to audiences outside Korea. For now, the mountain resort is the place where his approach to preservation, comfort and cultural tourism is taking physical form.

What Gives a Hanok Its Identity?

Hanok are traditional Korean houses built with natural materials including wood, stone, clay and hanji, a traditional paper. Their design seeks a balance between the building and its surroundings, making the landscape part of the experience of living there.

Curved tiled roofs, wooden beams joined without nails and ondol, the traditional system of heating floors, are among their defining features. These elements reflect centuries of adaptation to Korea's climate and culture. The building's structure and heating system are practical responses to daily life as well as expressions of craft.

Historically, the orientation, layout and materials of a hanok also expressed ideas about well-being, community and respect for nature. A house was more than a shelter: its arrangement reflected how people understood their place in the surrounding world.

Modernization has made that architectural inheritance harder to sustain. Hanok have often been overlooked or kept mainly as attractions in museums and tourist villages. Insulation, maintenance and comfort have also been obstacles to wider use. Cho's project starts with those practical concerns, seeking to retain the qualities people value while changing features that can make a traditional house difficult to inhabit.

Keeping the Craft, Changing the Windows

Hanok Heritage retains traditional wood joinery and the rooflines associated with Korean wooden houses. Cho has worked closely with master carpenters, making skilled construction a central part of the resort rather than treating the traditional appearance as decoration.

The development also uses a wood drying process that takes seven years to complete. This method is intended to preserve the wood's natural beauty while improving its durability and resistance to the elements. Those qualities matter for buildings whose long life depends on the condition of their timber.

Musty smells and drafts are among the complaints the resort seeks to address through advanced wood drying and the selective use of modern materials. The approach accepts that a building intended for guests must meet present expectations of comfort as well as retain its cultural character.

Hanji windows, for example, have been replaced with tempered glass and nearly invisible fly screens. The change keeps the visual setting close to the traditional design while adapting the window to contemporary use. Climate control and security systems are also integrated into the resort without being intended to dominate its atmosphere.

Cho's technology background informs these decisions. The underlying idea is straightforward: traditional construction can continue to shape a building even when some components change. At Hanok Heritage, the work of carpenters and the use of modern systems serve the same purpose of making the houses places where people want to stay.

Inside the Three Operating Units

The Hanok Heritage House is conceived as a destination for culture, wellness and luxury. Its mountain location offers seclusion away from city life, while the scale of the site allows the project to develop beyond the three units already operating.

Each of those units averages 750 square meters and includes a private sauna, along with a garden or terrace. Pine timber interiors and spacious layouts are intended to make the buildings feel welcoming rather than formal or museumlike.

Cho Chung-il, chairperson of Hanok Heritage, describes the central aim in terms of how a guest should feel inside the buildings:

The aim is a physical space that is as cozy as possible.

That ambition connects the resort's luxury features to its architectural choices. The saunas, generous spaces and modern systems are part of an effort to make hanok living appealing to contemporary travelers, while the timber construction and relationship with the landscape retain the setting's Korean identity.

Wellness as Part of the Stay

Hanok Heritage's wellness activities include a Sound Bath, a meditative experience combining soothing sounds with dessert tasting. The program extends the resort's focus beyond accommodation to activities built around relaxation and the senses.

Domestic and international travelers seeking rest and rejuvenation are the intended audience. The mountain setting, private outdoor spaces and wellness facilities all support that focus. Guests are being invited to spend time within traditional architecture, rather than simply visit a building and leave.

The design also seeks to create room for reflection, connection and well-being. Cho's broader view of hanok places people and nature together, and the resort translates that idea into gardens, terraces and buildings arranged in a natural landscape.

Comfort is therefore part of the preservation strategy. Cho wants visitors to appreciate the beauty and practicality of traditional design through using it. The resort's proposition is that a pleasant stay can give hanok a continuing role in contemporary life.

What Is Planned by 2027?

By 2027, the complex is intended to contain between 18 and 30 hanok units. Half are planned for stays restricted to members, with the remainder operating as a luxury hotel. The arrangement combines exclusivity with access for hotel guests outside the membership group.

The range of 18 to 30 units leaves the final scale open. No exact completion date within 2027 or firm total within that range was given. The two main stages of the project are:

• August 29, 2025: Three hanok units are operating on the 337,190 square meter site in Yeongwol County.
• By 2027: The planned complex would contain 18 to 30 units, divided equally between stays for members and luxury hotel accommodation.

The planned total is six to ten times the three units currently operating. That expansion would carry Cho's approach from a small operating group of houses to a much larger hospitality complex, increasing the scale of both construction and ongoing maintenance.

A Preservation Debate Reaches Diplomats

Cho outlined his vision at a recent forum at the Italian ambassador's residence in Seoul. Hosted by the Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican, the gathering brought cultural leaders and diplomats together to discuss new approaches to heritage preservation.

The gathering, also described as the CICI forum, provided a setting for discussing the international significance of hanok and the potential for cultural exchange. Diplomats, cultural leaders and business executives praised the project for its creativity and impact.

Cho's argument goes beyond restoring old forms. He wants to create living examples of hanok that meet current needs, encouraging Koreans and visitors from abroad to appreciate their usefulness as well as their appearance. The resort treats continued use as part of the effort to preserve architectural heritage.

Cultural organizations looking for sustainable approaches to heritage tourism have shown interest in that idea. The Yeongwol project presents a business model in which accommodation and wellness activities support the continuing use of traditional buildings. Its combination of heritage and modern hospitality challenges the view that preserving the past and meeting contemporary expectations must be competing goals.

Korean Identity and Plans Beyond Korea

For Cho, hanok also represent Korean identity and an opportunity for dialogue across cultures. In an interview featured in Noblesse magazine, the Hanok Heritage chairperson described the relationship between architecture, people and the natural world:

Hanok is a space where nature and people coexist in harmony. I hope that Korea's hanok will shine as a treasured cultural asset for the next 1,000 years.

The resort's design reflects that aspiration through its relationship with the landscape and its emphasis on spaces for reflection and connection. Cho's goal is to make traditional buildings useful now while encouraging appreciation that lasts beyond the immediate project.

Plans to take the Hanok Heritage concept to New York and Paris are under consideration. Those initiatives aim to introduce new audiences to hanok and encourage greater understanding of Korean culture. The international ambition builds on the same idea being tested in Yeongwol: people can encounter an architectural tradition by spending time within it.

Growing Cultural Interest and Practical Challenges

The resort is developing during a period of growing interest in Korean history and traditions. The National Museum of Korea is on track to set a record for annual visitors, while an upcoming arts and culture event in Yongsan District adds to the activity surrounding Korea's creative scene.

Across the country, efforts to revitalize traditional crafts, food and architecture reflect a desire to preserve cultural identity alongside modernization. Hanok Heritage brings that concern into hospitality, using accommodation to connect a traditional form of building with contemporary expectations.

The project also faces substantial practical demands. Building and maintaining hanok at this scale requires investment, skilled workers and continuing care. The seven years devoted to drying wood illustrate the time involved in preparing materials, while the planned expansion will increase the amount of property requiring maintenance.

Access is another consideration. Private facilities, large units and stays reserved for members are part of the resort's appeal, but they also make the balance between exclusivity and wider participation a central issue. The hotel portion is intended to bring in a broader audience, while the wider question is how the benefits of preserving cultural heritage can be shared.

Cho's development offers one approach to that challenge: retain traditional craftsmanship, adapt buildings for current use and give guests a reason to spend time in them. Its ambition is to preserve a Korean architectural legacy while encouraging others to recognize the continuing value of their own cultural traditions.

Key Points

• Cho Chung-il, chairperson of Hanok Heritage and CEO of KONA I, is leading a $130 million hanok resort project in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province.
• The development occupies 337,190 square meters, with three operating units averaging 750 square meters each.
• Traditional joinery, tiled rooflines and a wood drying process lasting seven years are combined with modern windows, climate control and security systems.
• Private saunas, gardens or terraces and a Sound Bath combining soothing sounds with dessert tasting form part of the guest experience.
• Plans call for 18 to 30 units by 2027, split equally between stays for members and luxury hotel accommodation.
• New York and Paris are being considered for future Hanok Heritage projects, while investment, skilled labor, maintenance and access remain practical challenges.