Korea Craft Week starts nationwide

The seventh annual Korea Craft Week kicked off Friday with four cities and counties hosting major events showcasing crafts and local craft traditions.

Goseong County in Gangwon Province, Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province and North Jeolla Province’s Jeonju and Buan County will run programs to raise awareness of local crafts through May 26.

In Goseong, visitors can take part in a challenge to craft something out of recycled litter retrieved from Song Ji-ho Beach and Ayajin Beach, and participants will be offered discounts at nearby restaurants and cafes.

Jinju, a UNSECO Creative City of Craft and Folk Arts, will offer similar programs involving museums, galleries and workshops. Local crafts will be on display at Lotte Mall Jinju, the largest shopping complex in the region. Flea markets will take place May 19 and 26, the last day of the exhibition.

Museums and workshops in the city will offer programs as well. At the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Exhibition Hall, people can learn how to make “hanji yudeung” or hanji lamps, using traditional Korean mulberry paper.

The famed Hanok Village in Jeonju will explore everything from “hanok” to “hanbok” -- traditional Korean houses and clothing, respectively. Talks with artisans known for traditional crafts will take place in the village.

Programs in Buan County, west of Jeonju, will feature Goryeo celadon. The county is home to masters of Goryeo celadon who are known for their efforts to keep the tradition alive. Marketplaces and exhibitions will also be set up.

In Seoul’s Tongeui-dong, the Boan Inn will host the Craft Tea Festival, while the Seoul Museum of Craft Art will present works that have won national recognition. Kim Hye-jeong, a ceramics artist who won last year’s top prize, is one of the artisans whose works will be on display at the exhibition.

Jeju Island will invite hanji master Jang Seong-woo to demonstrate how traditional paper is made.

For more information, visit the official website of Korea Craft Week.