By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

``Ondol,’’ a Korean traditional heating system, is expected to spread faster around the world as it has been adopted as an international standard for under-floor heating systems.

According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Thursday, the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee has recently adopted seven new ondol-related standards with a majority vote, though it needs a final endorsement from a working group.

Standards of the ISO include those for design, construction and operation of radiant heating and cooling systems, the ministry said.

``We need to wait until a final vote at the ISO working group but expect the standards to be adopted without any problem,’’ a ministry official said.

``Use of the ondol could spread faster to markets around the world once it is formally adopted as an international standard. It would be used as a standard for heating systems in many countries,’’ he added.

The ondol in traditional architecture, which dates back to the Bronze Age, was under-floor heating that utilizes direct heat transferred from a wood fire to the underside of a thick masonry floor.

In modern usage, the ondol uses a system of pipes that transport hot water underneath each room in a house. It now refers to any type of under-floor heating in a hotel or sleeping room in a Korean ― as opposed to a Western ― style.

Most Korean families prefer the heating system since the warmth generated upwards from below the floor heats every room during winter efficiently.

The official said ondol is gaining more and more popularity in the West since it is regarded good for both health and energy conservation.

More than half of the newly built houses in Western Europe are adopting the heating system, according to the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS).

``In the United States, the ondol market has been growing by 20 percent every year,’’ a KATS official said.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr