
at Kahoidong (Gahoe-dong 31-79, Jongno-gu, Seoul) on 27 July 2013. Photo: Bum Lee
HRH the Duke of Gloucester has been in Seoul representing the Queen for the formalities which mark the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire on 27 July.
With Ambassador Wightman and the veterans minister Mark Francois he met with President Park Geun-hye, who said she was looking forward to her state visit to the UK later this year.
The Duke is an architect by profession, and once today’s formalities were over he enjoyed a tour of the hanok district of Bukchon, paying a visit to David Kilburn’s hanok in Kahoidong. Kilburn, who divides his time between London, Tokyo and Seoul, is a long-term campaigner for the preservation of hanoks in the Bukchon area, which are progressively being demolished to make way for larger two-storey constructions. His own lovingly preserved hanok was used in the filming of Kim Ki-duk’s 3-Iron.

Links:
- David Kilburn’s hanok campaign site, kahoidong.com
- David Kilburn’s blog, Hanok Eyes