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Back to Basics: Does Geomancy Still Influence Urban Sustainability in North Korea?
The chapter examines how sustainable urban development was traditionally achieved in the settlements of the northern part of Korea. First, it provides an overview of the basics of urban sustainability. Second, the chapter details the history of urban sustainability in premodern Korea. Finally, the chapter analyzes whether p’ungsu chiri sŏl, also referred to as p’ungsu, helped Korean cities acquire their sustainability. Undoubtedly, the term “urban sustainability” is a product of the modern era, but this chapter explores how Korean states considered urban sustainability from a historical perspective. Ever since the late Silla period, Koreans carefully followed the rules of p’ungsu chiri sŏl, a “geographical theory of wind and water,” also known as the Korean variation of feng shui. In Korea, this theory developed its own traits, apart from the Chinese original. The p’ungsu chiri sŏl worldview explained many facets for living a prosperous life, including how to select sites for tombs, dwellings, and cities. The theory penetrated deeply into the Korean state political system, Korean philosophy, and Korean culture, and it still influences society on both sides of the Korean Peninsula. In short, p’ungsu chiri sŏl appears to have helped bring about a robust, unique form of Korean urban sustainability.
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