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Introduce
Numerous topics related to Korean culture and art are mentioned in middle and high school national history textbooks, but most of them are briefly described by era, making it difficult to understand their concepts, transition processes, and characteristics.
<Culture & Art Stories from Korean History> produces and provides video materials based on expert commentary on the flow, change process, characteristics and characteristics of each major topic in the field of culture and art in Korean history.
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Scenario

A chilly block of ice that provides relief from the sweltering summer heat!
But! It is said that our ancestors have been using ice for a very long time.
If this is true, where did this ice come from? Who used it, and how?

Have you heard of the natural refrigerator, the seokbinggo?

A small protrusion resembling a burial mound sticks up from the ground. What could it be?
“seok” meaning stone, “bing” meaning ice, “go” meaning storage.
Seokbinggo! It is an ice box made of stone.

And the secret behind early Koreans having ice in the middle of summer.
That would be the secret storage room called the binggo!

The binggo is a storage room where ice blocks cut from frozen lakes were taken and stored to be pulled out when needed during the summer months. Before the seokbinggo, there was the mokbinggo, made of wood, and the chogaebinggo, made of straw. But the seokbinggo is the only type to have survived to the present day.

The earliest record of a binggo in Korean history dates back to the Three Kingdoms Period.
According to the Samgukyusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), during the reign of King Yuri (also known as Norye), “…they made hoes and plows, stored ice, and built wagons.”
It is also recorded that in year 6 of King Jijeung’s reign during the Three Kingdoms Period, “He [Jijeung] gave the first order for ice to be collected and stored.”

Currently, the oldest remaining binggo in existence dates to the Baekje Dynasty. An ancient structure presumed to be a binggo was discovered at a historical site on Jeongjisan Mountain in Gongju, and which was used during the state funeral for Baekje’s King Muryeong and his queen.
The remains of a Baekje binggo from the Sabi period-when the Baekje capital was at Sabi (modern Buyeo) during the 6th and 7th centuries-were found in the Gudeurae area along the Baekma River in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province.

The Jaemaejeong binggo was found in Gyeongju at the old residence of Kim Yusin of the Unified Silla Period. Through excavations, several other binggo dating from the Three Kingdom’s Period have been confirmed.

Nature's Refrigerator, the Seokbinggo. How did it Store Ice?

There are 7 seokbinggo still in existence today!
Their remnants are to be found in Gyeongju, Andong, Dalseong Hyeonpung, Cheungdo, Changnyeong, Changnyeong Yeongsan, and Haeju, North Korea.

“So, this is the Gyeongju seokbinggo. The Gyeongju seokbinggo is the largest seokbinggo remaining in South Korea and the best constructed.” Dr. Kim Jiyoung

The Gyeongju seokbinggo is a good example of typical seokbinggo construction. First, a hole is dug so half of the storage chamber is underground. The walls are then built up and an arched ceiling is made. To keep air from entering the chamber, they make a burial mound on top by mixing dirt and rocks, sometimes even lime.

“A characteristic feature of seokbinggo construction is that half the structure is above ground, half below. This allows for the internal temperature to stay relatively stable despite any rapid increase in the outside air temperature. If you look at the floor, you'll see that it is built on a slope. And at the end of the slope is a drain. This is so when the ice melts, the water quickly runs down the slope and out of the chamber, keeping the interior of the chamber dry.” Dr. Kim Jiyoung

On the ceiling of a seokbinggo the highest point is the ventilation shaft! Each seokbinggo has two or three of these shafts.
Why did early Koreans not completely seal off the seokbinggo but instead make ventilation shafts?

The seokbinggo will warm up when the outside temperature rises. When this happens, the warm air will rise to the top of the chamber in a current. The ventilation shafts let this warm air escape. Letting the warm air escape helps keep the ice cool a little longer.

Furthermore, the positioning of the seokbinggo is also important. The entrance was made facing the direction that allowed in the least amount of warmth. It was also important that they be situated near rivers or steams.
In the winter months, cutting blocks of ice from a frozen river and lugging them to the seokbinggo was quite the arduous task. Having the seokbinggo close to a riverbank reduced the distance they had to move the blocks of ice.
With so much scientific knowledge behind their construction, the seokbinggo was able to become “nature’s refrigerator.”

What was the ice in the seokbinggo used for?

Every winter, the act of carving out chunks of ice and transporting them to the binggo for storage is called “jangbing.”
During the Joseon period, jangbing was performed just as it was done during the Three Kingdoms and Goryeo eras.

During the reign of King Taejo of Joseon, the government had several binggo made, including a dongbinggo for ice used in memorial ceremonies, and a few seobinggo to hold ice were shared between the royal family and senior officials.
In Changdeokgung Palace, there were two naebinggo that stored the meat and fish for the royal family.

At the beginning of the 12th month on the lunar calendar, They reported their plan of storing ice in a ceremony dedicated to the God of Winter, called sahanje, before they started taking ice from the river.
With ice of this size, about 10,000 blocks could fit in a dongbinggo, 135,000 blocks in a seobinggo, and 40,000 blocks in a naebinggo. That’s an extraordinary amount of ice.

The following year, at the spring equinox, the ritual called sahanje was performed first and then the seokbinggo’s door was opened, as was the case when ice was collected. And following strict protocol, the ice was apportioned. It was first distributed to the royal palace and government offices. Following this, it was distributed among the senior government officials and members of the royal family.
Ice was also divvied up and given to the infirm, the imprisoned, and the condemned.

From the 18th century, the demand for ice rose with the development of commerce. The number of government-run binggo grew smaller, and everyday people were free to buy and sell ice.

A chilly cube of ice that provides relief in the sweltering summer heat!
Through exceptional know-how, our ancestors constructed binggo and were able to enjoy the wonder of ice.

[Epilogue]
Must-Know Facts on Culture and Art in Korean History

1. The binggo built during the Three Kingdoms Period and which is still in existence is the Joseon seokbinggo.
2. Architectural features of the seokbinggo include a half-subterranean chamber, sloped floors, and the ceilings with ventilation shafts.
3. Ice from the seobinggo, dongbinggo, and naebinggo was mainly used for state ceremonies or given to the palace and government offices.

Seokbinggo, or Stone Ice Storage