Hidden Side of Korea: the sources

Short videos on the real reasons behind things in Korea that look obvious. For each video we list the source behind every sentence: ✔ means we checked it against the institution's original text, △ means we could only confirm it through news reports. When we get something wrong, we fix it and keep a record.

Most videos are narrated in Korean (No.080 in English). English pages are ready for 10 episodes so far; all episodes are on the Korean site.

10 episodes in English

  1. No.082The plaza in front of Gwanghwamun has only foundation stones, no buildings, because the excavated site of Uijeongbu, Joseon's highest government office, was reburied to protect it and only markedOctober 8, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 24 · △ 01 min 38 s
  2. No.081Jongmyo’s main hall has 19 bays because each time more tablets had to be enshrined, the western 11 bays rebuilt in 1608 were left in place and four bays at a time were attached to the east endOctober 8, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 23 · △ 11 min 47 s
  3. No.080Okcheon's 4 kilometers were the last of the Gyeongbu Expressway to connect because the hardest stretch needed a Geum River bridge and the Dangjae Tunnel, and its paving joined only at midnight, June 27, 1970October 8, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 22 · △ 01 min 40 s
  4. No.079Two hills that stood where the main road in front of Busan Port now runs disappeared because from 1909 they were cut down and their earth and rock used to fill the seaOctober 8, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 23 · △ 01 min 34 s
  5. No.077Seodaemun is missing from Seoul's Jeongdong intersection because it was torn down in 1915 to widen a road, and its gatehouse wood and tiles were sold for 205 wonOctober 8, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 22 · △ 01 min 50 s
  6. No.066An overpass runs right beside Independence Gate in Seoul because in 1979 the gate moved 70 metersOctober 6, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 22 · △ 01 min 36 s
  7. No.060At Chilbulsa's Ajabang on Jirisan, what became national heritage was not the room but the ondol beneath its floorOctober 5, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 19 · △ 51 min 37 s
  8. No.055The middle of the Seosan seawall was closed with a single ship because rock could not stop water pouring through at 8 meters per secondOctober 4, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 21 · △ 11 min 42 s
  9. No.053Incheon Airport's land holds four islands because the tidal flats between them were closed off with 17.3 kilometers of seawall and filled inOctober 3, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 10 · △ 111 min 35 s
  10. No.051Small stone forts sit on every cape along Ganghwado's shore because after the island fell in the Second Manchu Invasion, 48 were built in the single year 1679 instead of a long wallOctober 3, 2026The Hidden Side of Architecture✔ 25 · △ 11 min 50 s