Treasure No. 182, Imcheonggak, is located in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. It is the oldest house that exists in Korea. It was a private house during the Joseon Dynasty and the largest mansion built with 99 rooms.
In January 1911, at the peak of Japanese imperialism, Lee Sang-ryong, the owner of Im Cheong-gak, gathered about 400 servants. He then burned their slave documents and told them to leave to help the country regain its independence, and he himself went to Manchuria to fight for independence of his country. When his family members, including his son, grandson, younger sibling, and nephew, joined the independence movement, the Japanese imperialists set out on a railroad track across the center of Imcheonggak in 1941, saying that they would demoralize their spirits at the house of the Bul-Ryeong-Seon-In1. As a result, some bedrooms and barns were demolished, and only about half of them remain now.
1. Japanese imperialists used to call Koreans who did not obey their rules, “Bul-Ryeong-Seon-In,” which means an unfortunate and rebellious Korean.
A total of nine people were independent activists from Imcheonggak for three generations. The key to passing on the spirit of independence for generations was education at home. The prestigious family held on to the family customs despite difficulties, such as not neglecting their studies, walking the righteous path, not harming others, and being polite among siblings for the sake of family harmony. The family’s honorable character is more praiseworthy than the fact that they owned the 99-room mansion.