Seokbinggo(ice store house)

[조영희]

There were three Seokbinggoes(eastern Seokbinggo(동빙고), western Seokbinggo(서빙고),

inside palace Seokbinggo(내빙고). Two Seokbinggoes were by the Hangang River).
Can you imagine passing the summer without ice?
You enjoy ice cold drinks when it is hot.

But do you know that Korean ancestors also had ice in summer?

How was that possible? There was no refrigerator then.

The secret is with the ‘Seokbinggo.’
Seokbinggo means a freezer made of rocks.

It was an ancient ice store house found only in Korea.

Thick ice was cut during winter and was kept in the Seokbinggo for use in summer.
Half of the Seokbinggo is underground, while the other half is above ground.
The floor, walls, and ceiling are made of granite and there is an airway.
The walls are covered with limestone to keep off moisture and water.
This structure cooled the inside of the Seokbinggo and kept the ice from melting.
The walls are covered with limestone to keep off moisture and water.
The floor is slanted to allow melted ice to funnel out.
The Seokbinggo has a long history. According to records,

the stored ice was first used from the Shilla period (57 BC - 935 AD).

 It was first used in King Yuri period (24 - 57).

Three centuries later, ice storage was widely used during King Jijeung period (500 - 514).
Frozen ice was popular for the upper class.
But unlike today, only the kings and the upper class were able to enjoy ice in summer.