Unlocking Potential: Kim Sook’s Jeju Home’s Transition from Heritage Site to Renovation Haven

Kim Sook’s home in Seongeup Village, Jeju, has been removed from the national heritage designated zone. She had spent more than a decade operating under strict heritage rules. Many observers noted the irony: the protections were lifted only after construction was completed, prompting comments that the timing felt \”more like a variety show than real life.\”

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The Cultural Heritage Administration issued a notice adjusting Seongeup Village’s designated area and allowable standards. The designated zone in Seongeup-ri, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo was reduced from 794,213 m² (about 8,548,829 sq ft / 196.3 acres) to 477,081 m² (about 5,135,252 sq ft / 118.0 acres), a roughly 40% cut. Remarkably, Kim Sook’s entire lot—about 230 pyeong (approximately 760 m² / 8,186 sq ft)—fell squarely into the area removed from designation.

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Because the property sat within a National Folk Cultural Heritage zone, it required a separate and complex “permission for changes to the appearance” in addition to ordinary building permits. After reclassification to an “allowable standards” area, rules around construction and repairs are expected to be relaxed substantially.

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Her struggles were documented on tvN’s Unpredictable. Because the house fell within a cultural heritage zone, she could not hire an ordinary contractor. Only craftsmen certified to repair cultural heritage sites were permitted to work on the project, driving labor and material costs to multiple times those of a typical renovation.

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The restoration required preserving Jeju’s traditional basalt stone walls and maintaining a thatched-roof appearance, so roof alterations were restricted. Officials even conducted a test excavation to check for artifacts while digging. In effect, building the house demanded effort close to that of restoring an archaeological site.

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One surprising detail emerged during the process: Kim had paid no property tax on the land because, as part of the cultural heritage designated area, the property qualified for an exemption. She said she didn’t know about the exemption until she began construction, a revelation that drew laughs online.

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She did have a complication: during remodel preparations, officials found that the areas now used as a kitchen and an outdoor toilet were originally unregistered, illegal structures. While the property remained in the regulated zone, restoring them to an original form would have been mandatory and options were limited. With the designation lifted, formalizing or remodeling those spaces should become far easier.

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Kim Sook’s reaction drew the most attention. On her personal channel, “Kim Sook TV,” she said she was “so shocked” to hear the house had been removed from Jeju’s cultural heritage list. After more than a year of extended filming and building to stringent standards, she said she felt deflated to gain freedom only now. Her offhand remark — “Maybe I’ll sleep in the car and go for a gypsy vibe” — underscored the disappointment.

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Kim originally bought the property in 2012 with Song Eun-yi, when she was still an unknown figure. She later consolidated ownership and used the variety show to bring attention to the long-abandoned house. With the regulation now lifted, many see this as a fortunate turn of events.

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Experts say the reclassification will give Kim greater flexibility for maintenance and repairs. Basic historic and cultural-environment protections will remain, but the era when owners needed permission even for minor fixes appears to be over.

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Online commenters suggested converting the property into a café would be a sure hit, and some urged producers to show any expansion on Unpredictable season 2. After so much effort, people are eager to see how the space will be used now that the construction is finished and rules are looser.

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