The Korean nation had long made an effective use of Sokbinggo, which could be called the ancestor of modern refrigerating facilities.

Such ice storehouses were built with stones near clear water resources to preserve natural ice.

Typical of them is the ice storehouse in Okgye-dong, Haeju City, South Hwanghae Province.

It is a vaulted semi-underground structure constructed around the 10th century.

The inside of the house is 28.3 meters long, 4.5 meters wide and about 6 meters high. The 1.5-meter-thick soil mixed with lime was hardened above the vaulted ceiling and covered with turf so as to shut off the solar heat and hot air.

The ice storehouses were all built in arch style, dovetailed with a thousand and hundreds of well trimmed granite stones without adhesives. This shows part of the fine architecture of the Korean nation.