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Building beyond limits: The inspirational journey of Kim Soon-hee, a trailblazing female builder

By Yu Cheol (Editorial Directo | 기사입력 2024/12/06 [03:56]

Building beyond limits: The inspirational journey of Kim Soon-hee, a trailblazing female builder

By Yu Cheol (Editorial Directo | 입력 : 2024/12/06 [03:56]

 Photo Credit: Jeonwon Sogeui Naejip (Monthly Country Homes and Interiors)

Kim Soon-hee, who graduated from high school, lived as an ordinary housewife after marriage. At the age of 40, she challenged herself to learn traditional Korean architecture (Hanok) building. Now in her late 50s, she has established herself as a rare female builder in South Korea, excelling in Hanok carpentry, panelized wall construction, and passive house expertise. The Monday Times met her and found she is proving to those who feel it’s too late to start something new that it's never too late to pursue a new path. - Ed. 

 

Q. Becoming a builder is a challenging career choice, especially for a woman. How did you start this work?

A. When my youngest daughter was about five or six years old, she came home from kindergarten and asked me, "Mom, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Her innocent question deeply resonated with me, making me realize that I still had dreams to pursue. Around that time, I saw a TV program introducing a school that taught Hanok construction, which led me to apply to the Hanok School in Pyeongchang. That was the beginning of my journey in construction.

 

Q. What do you do these days?

A. My primary role is to implement housing designs on-site, turning architectural drawings into actual structures. This includes managing material procurement and coordinating with clients and architects to address various issues and modification requests. I often mediate between architects and clients to ensure smooth communication and resolve conflicts.

 

Q. You mentioned attending the Hanok School in Pyeongchang. What did you do after graduating?

A. After graduating, I started working as a carpenter at Hanok construction sites. Most carpenters were men, and as a female carpenter, it was challenging to find work. Fortunately, I partnered with another female carpenter from the Hanok School, and we worked together.

 

While building Hanoks, I noticed their insulation and heat retention were often inadequate. Eventually, I discovered a nearby company specializing in panelized light-frame wooden houses, where I began working. Later, I took a course on passive construction methods offered by the Korea Passive House Association and have been working in this field ever since.

 

Q. Could you explain the features and differences between hanok and passive houses?

A. Hanok and passive houses have different principles. Hanok houses are built by utilizing the natural environment. They are designed with careful consideration of factors such as the intensity and angle of sunlight during the four seasons and the direction of the wind. Natural materials like wood and earth are used in their construction. While beautiful and eco-friendly, Hanoks can be less effective in mitigating extreme weather conditions. To me, Hanok represents a way of living in coexistence with nature.

 



Passive houses, on the other hand, prioritize insulation and airtightness to minimize energy consumption while ensuring comfort. They focus on maintaining consistent indoor temperature and humidity, preventing dew condensation and mold. In Korea, where seasonal temperature and humidity fluctuations are significant, passive houses require meticulous maintenance to achieve their intended comfort. In this sense, passive houses demand a mutual relationship between the house and its occupants.

 

Q. As a female builder, what challenges have you faced in your career?

A. First of all, it was challenging because construction sites have traditionally been a male-dominated culture. Resolving misunderstandings and conflicts that arose from differences in thinking and goals was not an easy process.

 

The construction industry has traditionally been male-dominated, so it has been difficult to navigate a culture shaped by male norms. Misunderstandings and conflicts stemming from differing perspectives are challenges I continue to face. These challenges are issues I still frequently encounter, and they are likely to arise from time to time in the future as well.  

 

Additionally, learning technical terms and processes unfamiliar to my previous life as a housewife was daunting. Construction requires understanding the entire process from start to finish, and any oversight can mean starting over. I’ve had to make many mistakes to build my skills and expertise. In the process, many mistakes and trials and errors have been inevitable.

 

Earning trust from clients and workers has also been a significant hurdle. As an ordinary woman in my 50s, I often encounter reactions from construction workers questioning whether I can effectively perform my role as a site manager. Communicating and proving my capabilities often takes time and effort.

 

When I request a specific process to be done accurately, it’s often perceived as inflexible or overly demanding because I’m a woman. Convincing them takes time, and in the process, I sometimes find myself doubting my own abilities. Even after completing a task, I often second-guess the work I’ve done.

 

Q. Could you share a particularly memorable or enjoyable experience from your work?

A. One unforgettable experience was during my first project as a site manager in Jinju. A team of carpenters suddenly walked off the job without explanation, leaving me to manage the chaos. Years later, the team leader apologized. Though their behavior was partly due to my inexperience, I felt it arose with the prejudice against me as a woman.

 

On the brighter side, I once managed a project to build a passive village hall in a rural town in Asan. During construction, the women’s association there protested the small size of a designated room. Eventually, the misunderstanding was resolved, and we all laughed. I still remember it as one of the unforgettable memories.

 

Q. Could you share your philosophy or values in life?

A. From my childhood, I believed in defining myself by my own standards rather than societal norms. The idea of living authentically and discovering my true self has always been a guiding principle and remains the greatest source of strength for me today. That’s why I’m still in the process of understanding and discovering myself, and striving to grow and improve. If I were to express this through the work I’m doing now — building houses — I’d say I’m not a finished house but one that’s still under construction. So, while I’m excited, I am always cautious as well. In the midst of this expectation and cautiousness in my daily life, I experience many things and I am learning from them every day. I hope that these experiences and learnings will accumulate and result in the creation of a comfortable house.

 

Q. What are your future plans as a builder?

A.  I feel embarrassed being called an expert, but I believe I can share what I’ve learned from my own experiences with those who need it. My plan is to continue doing what I’ve been doing so far, but with even more enjoyment. I always remind myself not to do things carelessly just because I’m familiar with them. The good thing is that building a house is different for every person — their thoughts about a home, the design, the materials, and the location all vary. Because of this, it’s always new, sometimes scary, but also exciting. I once said that I had cooked rice, now I’m building houses, and in the future, I hope to live by writing. For now, I think I will continue building houses.

 

Q. What advice would you give to young people aspiring to enter the field of construction?

A. Every subject and experience at this stage in life will provide a solid foundation for the future. Even seemingly trivial skills, like using a shovel in elementary school, can become surprisingly valuable later. When I was in fifth grade, there were many occasions at school where we had to plant trees. The digging I did back then has turned out to be incredibly useful in my current work of building houses. No learning or experience is ever truly wasted. That’s why I hope that whatever I’m learning and experiencing now is never taken lightly. Even if I don’t achieve great results, learning is always beneficial.

 

Another thing I would say is that you should not be afraid of difficult and challenging situations. No one likes tough and difficult things. And no matter how easy or enjoyable something is, there will always be times when it becomes hard or challenging. But once you get through that process, once you endure, you grow more and move into new areas.

 

Q. Do you have any additional advice for our young readers?

A. That’s a difficult question, but I’d encourage you to think deeply about how you truly want to live and what you genuinely desire. Even if I could return to my youth with endless options before me, I would still choose to pursue the life I want, not the one that seems easy or appealing at first glance. Whether the path is difficult and challenging or too ordinary and straightforward, I would continuously explore what I truly want and make my choices based on that. 

 

This principle applies not only to youth but to today and every stage of life. Regardless of your age, I hope you build your own standards and live by them, rather than being swayed by others' opinions or societal norms. Remember, you are not a good person because others think highly of you — you are inherently valuable simply because you are you. I hope you fully realize and embrace that.

 

 
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