A Rural House at 700m Altitude: Why Only 60-Year-Old Walls Remain

While others pack their bags to leave for famous vacation spots, Jo Seong-bin's summer vacation in the mountains of Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, at 700m above sea level, begins just five minutes away from her home. Her sanctuary, located below Seongoksan Mountain, is a 60-year-old rural house. While preserving the traces of the old house, she made a bold choice for modern relaxation: leaving only the essential walls and installing large windows. The scenery where the green forest pushes into the house through the windows becomes a painting in itself.

"It feels so refreshing because there are no walls" A 60-year-old rural house that brought the forest inside

Jo Seong-bin's house shows its true value in the summer. Thanks to a structure that minimizes walls and maximizes windows, there is no time to feel the tropical nights. In the video, Jo Seong-bin explains the structure of the house, saying, "Because there are so many windows, there are no walls. You can see everything outside, and it feels so refreshing." While resting under the shallow ceiling, the cool mountain air fills the house. The old walls that have held 60 years of time harmonize with the greenery outside the window, providing an experience where the seasons visit the house without needing to travel far.

The taste of summer continues in the front yard. The jujube trees that Jo Seong-bin planted herself are bearing ripe red fruits. The jujubes, infused with the July sunlight, shine with a color resembling tangerines. Jo Seong-bin and her neighbor, Bok-sun, share the joy of harvesting while picking jujubes together. While they engage in a race of speed, saying, "Koreans are originally supposed to do things 'ppalli-ppalli' (quickly)," they soon burst into laughter after becoming exhausted within 20 minutes. The harvested jujubes are made into enzyme to be enjoyed as a cool summer drink. After 10 years of mountain life, Jo Seong-bin expressed high satisfaction with her current life, saying, "I've become so healthy that I can't even remember the last time I suffered from body aches."

A heart that cares for baby crayfish, 'childlike innocence' living with nature

Summer in the mountains does not stay only inside the house. The valley in front of the house is a playground that restores Jo Seong-bin's childhood innocence. The process of searching for salamanders and crayfish, which only live in first-class water, is like a children's game. In this journey, she especially enjoys the luck of discovering three baby crayfish along with a mother crayfish. Rather than eating the caught crayfish immediately, Jo Seong-bin smiles warmly as she returns the mother and her babies to the valley.

A life in contact with nature also brings unexpected gifts. In one corner of the yard, a duck that lays eggs every day waits for Jo Seong-bin. The small joys of mountain life are evident in her amazed expression as she says, "It feels like pulling out a treasure because it lays an egg every day." For those living while entrusting themselves to the flow of nature, summer is not just a hot season, but a vibrant season where everything lives and moves in green.

A 10-year mountain expert turned 'Jumo', enjoying summer health food with the sound of rain

On a day when a sudden rain shower pours down, Jo Seong-bin invites guests to a space that looks like an old tavern has been moved there. Transforming into a 'Jumo' (tavern keeper) while wearing Hanbok, she creates a warm and friendly atmosphere. Her skill in building fires, honed through 10 years of mountain life, is comparable to an expert. As Jo Seong-bin says, "A fire warmed by wood is hot yet refreshing," gazing at the wood fire against the backdrop of the sound of rain—'bul-meong' (staring at fire)—turns the remote mountain house into a paradise.

The menu for the day is summer health food from the mountains. Spicy fish stew made with sandfish caught in first-class water, butterbur egg rolls, and sujebi (hand-torn dough soup) boil in a large iron pot. The table, prepared with seasonal ingredients easily found nearby, is rustic yet deep in flavor. Jo Seong-bin's words, "After letting go of a life lived like doing homework, every day feels like summer vacation," show the leisure of someone who has left the complex speed of the city behind to wisely live their own season.