Traditional Korean ware pop-up to open at Hyundai Department Store

A special pop-up store featuring traditional Korean items will open at Hyundai Department Store’s Apgujeong branch in Seoul on Monday, the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation said.

The store will be a special space where visitors can view and purchase items made by those whose work have been declared as intangible cultural properties by the Korean government.

“The pop-up store will catch the eyes of trendsetters who are interested in traditional items,” an official from the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation said in a statement.

With the theme of “sarang,“ which refers to the room in traditional Korean houses where guests are received, the pop-up store will have on display traditional items that people used in daily lives such as accessories, shoes and vases.

The foundation said that the items exhibited in the pop-up store will include several pieces of furniture created by So Byung-jin, a carpenter who was given the title of National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 55. 

Works by modern artists created using traditional techniques will also be on show. For instance, Jeong Young-rak’s espresso cups that incorporated skills in making “onggi,” a type of traditional Korean earthenware. The onggi-making skill is designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 96.

The foundation operates sarang stores in some of the royal palaces in Seoul as well as at Incheon Airport with the aim of providing opportunities for master craftsmen. It also operates the online shopping mall KHmall which sells Korean artworks.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcop.com)