The Hanok Heritage Hotel Opens to Public Guests in Yeongwol, With 14 Rooms and Expansion Planned for 2028

A private hanok estate opens its doors

Fourteen rooms are now open to public bookings at The Hanok Heritage Hotel in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, bringing a previously private retreat into Korea's hotel market. Set on roughly 337,000 square meters in Mungaesil village, the property is described as Korea's largest hanok hotel, with nightly rates generally ranging from 1.2 million to 2.7 million won.

The opening gives travelers access to an estate that once served members only. Ten additional houses remain in the members area, while the public hotel offers accommodation, two restaurants, galleries, a quiet lounge and programs built around traditional Korean architecture and culture.

As of September 14, 2025, the public opening represents one stage of a larger project. Founder Cho Chung il, also chief executive of KONA I, says the complex is intended to reach 30 hanok units by early 2028, combining public and members spaces.

Hanok means a traditional Korean house. At Yeongwol, that architectural tradition appears in timber frames, broad eaves, courtyards and tiled roofs, while modern construction methods address the drafts, moisture and temperature problems that can make older houses difficult to operate as hotels.

The project team calls its approach New Heritage: keeping the quiet character of hanok living while providing the comfort expected of contemporary accommodation. Handcrafted timber, courtyards scented by pine and windows overlooking forested hills and the Seogang River shape the experience.

The change is chiefly one of access. An experience previously reserved for a few thousand guests each year is now available to a wider audience, including international visitors. The small number of public rooms and the nightly prices still make this a stay built around privacy, space and a carefully arranged cultural program.

A village setting shaped by river and mountains

The hotel stands in Nam myeon, Yeongwol gun, a rural area surrounded by mountains and the winding Seogang River. Its roughly 337,000 square meters of land give it the scale and spread of a hamlet rather than a single hotel building.

Traditional hanok planning seeks a harmonious position within nature. Buildings are placed with attention to sunlight, wind and views. At this property, broad eaves, courtyards and reflective ponds help filter sound and heat, while paths reveal the buildings gradually as guests move through the grounds.

Stone walls line the walkways. Pine groves, hills and open sky appear through different windows, giving rooms distinct views without changing the architectural language that connects them. The setting is intended to make movement between accommodation, gardens and shared spaces part of the stay.

Several buildings take inspiration from Jongmyo Jeongjeon in Seoul, a royal shrine known for its rhythm, proportions and long axial hall. That influence appears in the hotel's 84 meter interior corridor and the repeated columns and beams that guide guests between lodging, pavilion and gallery.

Byeoljae, the hotel's signature pavilion, becomes a gathering place in the evening. Exterior lights are dimmed or switched off at night so guests can see the stars. Traditional drinks and seasonal bites give the pavilion a role in the cultural program as well as in the architecture.

Four room layouts and what the rate includes

The 14 public rooms come in four core layouts: Gaon, Sol, Sodam and Corner Suite San. Views range from stone walls and pine trees to framed scenes of the surrounding hills and sky.

Nightly rates generally run from 1.2 million to 2.7 million won, depending on the level of privacy, room size and views. Each room includes breakfast, welcome tea, a curated minibar and access to the gallery and quiet lounge.

Daily hanok docent tours are also part of the experience. Staff explain construction techniques, the placement of buildings and the way verandas and courtyards shape everyday life. A docent is a guide who helps visitors understand a place, its design and its cultural meaning.

Accessibility was considered during planning. The hotel offers rooms designed to support wheelchair users and older guests, with gentle slopes and discreet assistance features. Guests arranging a stay can ask about room categories and accessibility when booking.

Ten houses continue to serve members alongside the public accommodation. The estate therefore retains its original private retreat concept while opening a distinct hotel inventory to travelers.

Korean dining and evening tastings

Namu and Monto anchor the hotel's dining program. Namu serves seasonal Korean dishes throughout the day. Monto offers a fine dining tasting menu built around regional ingredients and traditional techniques presented in a contemporary way.

The food follows the same preference for clarity and restraint seen in the buildings. Meals are intended to sit comfortably within the estate's quiet setting, rather than compete with its architecture and landscape.

Gugak performances, featuring traditional Korean music, and hosted tastings add a cultural element to meals during special services and events. The combination connects dining with the wider program of learning about Korean traditions.

Evenings often culminate at Byeoljae with Soolsi, a tasting of traditional liquor paired with small dishes that change with the season. The pavilion provides a shared setting for guests who otherwise spend much of their visit in private rooms and dispersed courtyards.

Reservations can be made ahead of time for dinner at Monto or a window table at Namu, particularly during busy weekends. Dining is one of several parts of the stay that guests are encouraged to arrange before arriving.

Hanbok, meditation and a darker night sky

Royal hanbok fittings allow guests to wear traditional Korean clothing for photographs in the courtyard. Other activities include traditional games on the lawn, digital detox sessions and sleep meditation.

The programs encourage a slower daily rhythm. Some begin the morning with a gentle bell and close the day with quiet journaling on hanji, traditional Korean paper. The aim is presence rather than spectacle, with attention directed toward breeze, birdsong and changing light.

Stargazing sessions often follow the nightly lights out tradition. With the estate darkened and urban glare far away, guests can look for the Milky Way. The same lighting practice changes the atmosphere around Byeoljae and the paths linking the buildings.

The landscape also shapes mornings. Mist rises from the river, while the property's remoteness gives the stay a different pace from accommodation in a city. The cultural activities extend that setting into an organized program of rest and reflection.

The hotel recommends advance bookings for activities, especially docent tours, hanbok fittings and stargazing sessions, because capacity is limited. Planning these appointments helps guests fit meals, tours and quiet time into the same visit.

The construction challenge starts with timber

Cho Chung il studied traditional houses across Korea before assembling a team of master carpenters, contemporary designers and engineers. The carpenters, known as daemokjang, brought expertise in building the timber structures that define hanok.

Moisture was one of the project's most persistent technical problems. Timber that has not been dried properly can warp and crack, creating gaps that allow drafts and odors into a building. For a hotel expected to remain comfortable through every season, that problem reaches beyond appearance.

The Yeongwol project invested in drying and processing wood before assembly to make the structure more stable. Years of prototypes and mock ups were used to test construction processes and details while retaining the familiar visual language of hanok.

Cho, the founder of The Hanok Heritage and chief executive of KONA I, has described wood preparation as the central challenge:

It all comes down to how we dry the wood.

Master carpenters cut and polish the timbers, while modern designers and engineers work on the parts guests may barely notice. Glass and insulation are fitted behind traditional profiles to help maintain quiet rooms and steady indoor temperatures.

Windows that would traditionally have used paper now include layers of tempered glass and nearly transparent screens. These materials improve insulation while keeping views open to the landscape. The rooms retain a classic hanok appearance, but doors glide smoothly, floors are warm and the air stays fresh.

Custom furniture echoes the curves and joinery of older houses. Together with the tested windows and building details, it is intended to make the interiors feel familiar while meeting the standards of a quiet, well sealed lodge.

Keeping the logic of a traditional house

A classic hanok usually combines timber framing, clay tiled roofs and interiors lined with paper. Stone foundations support the buildings, while courtyards are arranged to catch sunlight in winter and provide shade in summer.

Sliding doors open rooms toward the outdoors. Wooden verandas connect spaces and soften the boundary between inside and outside. The arrangement makes weather, light and the surrounding landscape part of daily life.

Ondol, a heating system that warms the floor from below, lies at the heart of traditional hanok living. Warm floors make sitting on mats and using low furniture comfortable. At the hotel, that connection to warmth underfoot remains part of the experience.

Modern travelers also expect quiet rooms, conditioned air and bathroom amenities that were absent from historic houses. The Hanok Heritage treats the traditional house as a living idea, adapting those practical elements while retaining its spatial character.

Guests move between garden pavilions and shaded porches, with the scent of pine and paper and the sound of summer rain on clay tiles contributing to the stay. Walls keep sound at bay, while clear glass preserves the view beyond the room.

Cho has presented comfort as a central aim, even where the estate resembles a historic village. He described the intended feeling in these words:

It is the comforts of home, a space that overwhelms you once you step in.

Traditional building specialists have seen the project as an opportunity to show that hanok can remain useful in a country undergoing rapid urban growth. After walking through the site and inspecting its details, one master carpenter expressed that urgency:

This is the last chance for hanok.

Design awards and spaces for gatherings

The property received the top hotel honor at the 2024 Prix Versailles, an international architecture and design award presented in Paris. The award considers cultural resonance, innovation and environmental sense.

The Hanok Heritage also received an IIDA Global Design Award. That recognition from the interior design community extends attention beyond the exterior architecture to the detailing of rooms and public spaces.

Interest has also come from travelers and public figures. Celebrities have shared photographs of their stays, while the spread of buildings, courtyards and trails helps maintain the estate's uncrowded character.

Galleries and the pavilion accommodate small events. The banquet venue, often called Yeongbin Hall, provides space for cultural gatherings, retreats and discreet celebrations intended to fit the character of the property.

The awards and event spaces place the hotel in two overlapping roles: accommodation for individual guests and a venue where architecture, hospitality and cultural gatherings meet. Its public opening makes more of that setting accessible beyond the original membership.

Thirty hanok units targeted for early 2028

The estate began as a group of private hanok for members. That phase served as a testing ground for construction methods and the hospitality concept before 14 rooms opened to the public.

Expansion is planned through 2028. The broader complex is intended to include new houses for members and hotel guests, outdoor facilities that retain a hanok silhouette, and cultural spaces for exhibitions and forums.

Cho has given an explicit target for completion and the number of units:

Our hanok complex will be completed by early 2028 when 30 hanok units are up and running.

The project's development can be followed through these milestones:

• 2024: The property earned the top hotel honor at the Prix Versailles.
• September 14, 2025: Fourteen rooms were available to public guests, alongside ten houses in the members area.
• Early 2028: Cho's target is completion of the complex with 30 hanok units operating.

Cho has also described a vision for a long hanok street in Seoul, intended to demonstrate tradition and technology at the scale of a city. Conversations about possible projects in New York and Paris reflect an ambition to make hanok an international reference for warm, sustainable design centered on people. No completion dates were given for those ideas.

At Yeongwol, the stated mission is to share a previously restricted experience with more guests while preserving the private retreat alongside it. New accommodation and cultural facilities are intended to extend that approach rather than replace the character of the existing estate.

Planning a visit to Yeongwol

Most visitors reach the hotel by car from Seoul or take an intercity bus or train to Yeongwol and continue by a short taxi ride. The property sits outside town, making the final part of the journey a practical consideration when arranging arrival and departure.

The hotel's remote location is part of its appeal. Forested hills, river mist and a dark night sky shape the setting, while the dispersed buildings make walking between accommodation, dining and activities part of the visit.

Guests can use the official website to check bookings, room categories, accessibility and cultural programming. The public hotel wing has 14 rooms; travelers considering private stays can inquire about the members area and future availability.

Current information is available through The Hanok Heritage Hotel. Advance arrangements are recommended for programs with limited capacity and for restaurant reservations during busy weekends.

The public opening gives travelers a new way to experience traditional Korean space without giving up modern hotel comforts. The current offer combines a small room inventory, extensive grounds, contemporary construction and cultural activities, with a larger complex targeted for early 2028.

At a Glance

• The Hanok Heritage Hotel has opened 14 rooms to the public in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province.
• The estate covers roughly 337,000 square meters and retains ten houses for members.
• Public room rates generally range from 1.2 million to 2.7 million won per night.
• Room categories include Gaon, Sol, Sodam and Corner Suite San.
• Breakfast, welcome tea, a curated minibar, gallery access and a quiet lounge are included.
• Namu serves seasonal Korean dishes, while Monto offers a fine dining tasting menu.
• Activities include docent tours, Soolsi tastings, royal hanbok fittings, meditation, traditional games and stargazing.
• Wood drying, insulation and updated windows address practical problems found in traditional hanok.
• The property received the top hotel honor at the 2024 Prix Versailles and an IIDA Global Design Award.
• Founder Cho Chung il says the complex is intended to have 30 hanok units operating by early 2028.