Korea has a number of unique traditions. Specifically, in this case, their housing. Almost all Korean homes are heated by way of a unique heating system called ondol (온돌) and an open floor plan called maru (마루).

Traditionally, ondol heating involved starting a small fire underneath the house and allowing the heat and smoke circulate through a small tunneled network through the floor, and in turn, heating the whole house from the ground up.

By the end of the 1960s, Western-style accommodation started to become more commonplace and the ondol system started to become powered by gas, oil, or electricity. By the 70s, Korea began the mass construction of high-rise apartment buildings, and the traditional houses slowly began to fade into history.

However, Korea's traditional houses are being preserved in some tourist folk villages, notably Andong Folk Village and Yongin Folk Village. And if you ever have the good fortune to take a drive in the backroads of the Korean countryside, you can still see the thatched tile roofs, with the small fire glowing at the edge of the floorboards.