Hotel Shilla to build traditional 'hanok' hotel

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 3, 2016, 16:41 Updated : March 3, 2016, 16:41

[Courtesy of The Shilla Hotels & Resorts]



The daughter of Lee Kun-hee, the ailing patriarch of South Korea's largest conglomerate Samsung Group, was allowed to build a new hotel themed after a traditional "hanok" house, Seoul city officials said Thursday.

The green light came five years after Hotel Shilla president Lee Boo-jin pushed a 300 billion won (244 million US dollars) project to build a new three-story hotel with 91 rooms.

She has envisioned Seoul's first "hanok" hotel next to her flagship hotel to provide a taste of Korean culture to foreign tourists.

The new hotel will open in early 2020, featuring a traditional architectural style such as wood pillars and roof as well as a park and a duty free shop.

Hotel Shilla has been forced to revise the design of the new hotel and cut the number of rooms because new construction is restricted in the area.

It is located near the Fortress Wall of Seoul, a 600-year-old stone wall that Seoul has tried to include on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Traditional Hanok-style accommodations and guest houses are popular among foreign tourists.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
 
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