Museum of Chusa Kim Jeong Hyui

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A space recreated from Sehando.

Chusa Museum, 2010, by Seung Hyosang

When one thinks of vacation in Korea, Jeju comes to mind first, a place historically known as a site of exile for serious criminals and high-ranking officials.

Chusa Kim Jeong-hee, a notable figure exiled to Jeju for about 9 years due to his involvement in the Yun Sang-do Oksa incident in 1840. Instead of despairing, he nurtured talents with his literary knowledge and completed various works during his exile.

Chusa Museum, located in a serene area where Kim Jeong-hee was exiled, exhibits his completed works and letters to acquaintances.

'Sehando', which marks the beginning of Chusa Museum, was also completed during his exile and the museum resembles the house depicted in Sehando. The museum's architecture, with its simple ridged roof and circular windows placed on a grassy field in the form of a long rectangular volume, seems to directly replicate the painting.

Unlike ordinary galleries, the exhibition at Chusa Museum starts underground. Entering through the main underground entrance to view the exhibition first and then ascending to the ground level gives it a unique structure of appearing single-storied from the outside but actually having two stories inside.

After descending underground, a unique staircase caught my eye. The zigzagging ramps dividing the stairs diagonally symbolize the exile path Chusa Kim Jeong-hee took to Jeju Island.

Upon ascending, one encounters a vacant space with only a bust of Chusa Kim Jeong-hee, a work by Professor Im Ok-sang.

Opposite the statue, circular windows symbolizing Sehando can be seen from both inside and outside. From the outside, the building's form and windows reveal Sehando's house, and from the inside, the windows overlap with the pine trees drawn alongside the house in Sehando.

Long horizontal windows on both sidewalls allow the circular windows to stand out while also inviting light inside.

Shortly after completion, Chusa Museum was nicknamed 'Potato Storage', which perhaps signifies the architect's successful intent to reflect Sehando's austere atmosphere in the building design.

Chusa Museum, the restored birthplace of Chusa Kim Jeong-hee, sculptures, benches, and walking paths are all connected, providing a guided path from entering the building to using the outdoor rest areas.