Korea Joongang Daily
Korea JoongAng Daily

Secrets of Danyusemungyeong: How one man cracked a 2,500-year-old bronze mystery

Danyusemungyeong, which refers to a bronze mirror with geometric patterns, was created about 2,500 years ago, spanning from the late Bronze Age to early Iron Age. Due to its elaborate patterns, it is also called Jeongmungyeong.

2025-05-06

Playing with fire: Korean artist takes hot irons to canvas for intricate drawings

Nakhwa refers to the traditional technique of drawing and writing on paper, wood, leather and silk using a heated iron. Due to its complexity, the art is on the verge of disappearing, but master artisan Kim Yeong-jo is striving to preserve it.

2025-02-25

Stained glass artist Choi Wook-mi wants to leave her mark on churches

Choi Wook-mi, head of the Piniel Sculpture Art Research Institute, is on a mission to spread the art of stained glass around Korea.

2024-12-22

Moving the needle: Craftsman keeps Korea's traditional compass techniques alive

Kim Hee-su, 62, has been making yundo for four generations and lives in the Naksan Village of Gochang County, North Jeolla.

2024-11-25

Just like clockwork: Metal artist embraces analog beauty of the cogwheel

Artist Hyun Kwang-hun creates art with metal pieces. He is involved in the A to Z of watchmaking and even produces a tiny screw as small as 0.6 millimeters by himself. He also makes handmade film cameras under the brand name Heartbeat.

2024-10-11

[ZOOM KOREA] Master potter keeps traditional Korean craft alive at Yeoju pottery

Obuja Pottery in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, is one of the few remaining potteries preserving the traditional art of making onggi, traditional earthenware pots used to store condiments and fermented staples. The pottery has been operating for 60 years.

2023-12-15

[ZOOM KOREA] Makgeolli master makes traditional alcohol bougie

With the taste, smell and preservation techniques used to make makgeolli continually improving, the Korean rice wine easily can be enjoyed by anyone in Korea. Premium makgeolli, which primarily boast regional characteristics, are proving to be...

2023-07-12

[ZOOM KOREA] Korea’s Martha Stewart wraps up Korean tradition with perfect knot

She is nicknamed Korea’s Martha Stewart thanks to her talent of turning anything into an upscale piece of clothing with her brilliant ideas. Lee Hyo-jae, 65, is a hanbok (traditional Korean dress) designer and a bojagi (traditional wrapping cloth)...

2023-05-08

[ZOOM KOREA] Jeong Daun ditched the paint for pieces of cloth

Fabric drawing may not necessarily be limited to drawing pictures on fabric. Jeong Daun, 35, is an artist who does the opposite — she draws pictures using fabric. With Jeong’s fabric drawings, her hands become the brush, the fabric becomes the...

2022-05-30

[ZOOM KOREA] Kim Kwan-sik marches to the beat of his own drum

The drum is an instrument considered to have been handed down since the early days of human civilization and has been used in various cultural aspects of Korea, including folk games, dance and shamanism. It also had a significant role of signaling...

2022-04-18