Even after 160 years, the biggest headache of this craft remains the same

Korean Heritage

Published: 29 Mar. 2023, 17:52 Updated: 29 Mar. 2023, 18:25

Even after 160 years, the biggest headache of this craft remains the same

Kim Ki-ho, left, and Park Soo-young, right, both geumbakjang artisans, pose for a photo at their studio in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 17. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

A long line of artisans has continued the tradition of imprinting geumbak, or gold leaf, on hanbok (traditional Korean dress) and Korean artifacts. Kim Ki-ho and Park Soo-young are a married couple who inherited the Kim family tradition of geumbakjang and have carried on a 160-year-old tradition handed down for five generations since King Cheoljong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

All work is done by hand at the couple's workshop in Jongno District, central Seoul. From boiling dried croaker bladders to filtering using hemp cloth to make natural glue for gold leaf and carving flowers on wooden boards blanched in soybean oil, each step is meticulously followed. Both Kim and Park are master artisans of geumbakjang, or gold leaf imprinting, which is designated as a national intangible cultural asset.

Kim and Park sat down with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, to talk about the step-by-step process of hand-making these complex clothes and artifacts, how they came to inherit this tradition and to keep it alive.

Kim Ki-ho, left, and Park Soo-young, right, both geumbakjang artisans, pose for a photo at their studio in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 17. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

At Geumbakyeon, Kim’s and Park’s workshop, patterned boards coated with gold leaf paste and brilliant golden letters are everywhere.

Geumbakyeon takes its name from the Korean word “geumbakjang,” a technique of applying decorative patterns on fabric with thin gold sheets. Kim’s great-great-grandfather was Kim Wan-hyeong, a royal artisan during King Cheoljong’s (1831-1864) reign in the Joseon Dynasty. His great-grandfather Kim Won-soon was also a royal craftsman during King Sunjong’s (1874-1926) era.

Kim’s father, the late Kim Deok-hwan, also held a National Intangible Cultural Property for his geumbakjang skills. From generation to generation, the Kim family was in charge of gilding hanbok for Joseon royalty and the early first ladies of South Korea. Chaebol families recognizable by name also visit Geumbakyeon for their ceremonial attire.

Geumbakjang, or gold leaf imprinting [KIM HYUN-DONG]

"Decorating the jacket of Lady Yi Hae-gyeong, the granddaughter of King Gojong, with asters [a type of flowers] in gold leaf was most memorable for me," Kim, 55, said. Patterns with asters were the most widely used in Joseon royal clothing. "There's no longer a royal family for us to decorate dresses for, but I feel like I am continuing the history of royal artisans that my great-great-grandfather started."

Kim did not initially intend to inherit and continue the family business. He majored in mechanical engineering at university and entered Samsung Electronics after graduating, working on industrial robot design. Kim was 30 years old when he started learning geumbakjang in earnest.

"When the family business was in danger of going extinct due to my father's illness, I left Samsung and started learning the craft," Kim said. It took Kim 20 years since then to be recognized as the 119th holder of the National Intangible Cultural Property Geumbakjang.

Kim Ki-ho, a National Intangible Cultural Property holder in guembakjang, works on gold leaf imprinting at his studio in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 17. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

Kim may not have realized then, but when he thinks about it, becoming a master of geumbakjang was a natural course for his life.

"From a very young age, I would hold the wood while my father sawed the pattern boards apart. When it was time to go home, I helped him clean up."

As for Park, 55, she became a master geumbakjang "through marriage," she said, laughing.

"After getting married, the whole family lived together. I would also watch my parents-in-law working on geumbak," she said. "Since the workshop was inside the house, it was only natural for us to inherit the business."

Kim Ki-ho, a National Intangible Cultural Property holder in guembakjang, works on gold leaf imprinting at his studio in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 17. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

Park says she learned her craft from her husband, but now, the pupil may have surpassed the master.
Last year, Park made the list of “Artisans of the Year” selected by luxury fashion brand Chanel and the Yéol Korean Heritage Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization that promotes Korean traditions and sponsors crafts. Chanel held an exhibition and showcased mobiles and lampshades decorated with geumbak by Park.

“There is a perception that gold leaf is a decoration used only for ceremonial dresses for the royals, but I wanted to show that it can be used for ordinary furniture and household items,” Park said.

The most challenging process in geumbakjang is handling the fish glue used as an adhesive for the gold leaf, the couple said.

Geumbakjang, or gold leaf imprinting [KIM HYUN-DONG]

"The concentration of the fish glue is critical," Park said. "If the concentration is not precise, the lines may come out unevenly and quickly lose their shape or be damaged."

"The viscosity of the fish glue changes in seconds," Kim continued. "The work of stamping patterns on fabric and placing gold leaf on them has to be done within five seconds. Even when gluing, there are many cases where the density of the pre-glued side changes instantly, ruining the whole work."

Kim's father is known to have said in an interview before his passing that he has been handling fish glue for more than 50 years, but "the most difficult part is still handling the glue according to the different types of textile."

Kim Ki-ho, left, and Park Soo-young, right, both geumbakjang artisans, pose for a photo at their studio in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 17. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

"I heard that even my grandfather sometimes chucked the glue brush when it didn't work as he wanted it to," Kim said, laughing.

Kim dreams of leaving behind works that become treasures for future generations. He is also creating an astrological map on which the constellations are engraved with gold leaf on silk dyed with ink.

"I want to first complete this astrological map on silk and eventually work with stone masters to create a stone carved geumbakjang version of the national treasure Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido [a stone engraved with constellations made during the reign of King Taejo (1335-1408) of Joseon] and hand it down to the coming generations," Kim said.

BY HONG JI-YU, LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]