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Seoul anoints masters of quilting technique, silver inlaying to preserve traditional crafts
A handcrafted traditional pouch created using the "saeksilnubi" quilting technique. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government
By Lee Kyung-min
In a bid to safeguard Korea’s vanishing artisan heritage, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated two women to lifelong honors in the traditional crafts of geometric silk quilting and intricate metal inlaying, the city said Friday.
Kim Yun-sun, a veteran artisan who has spent more than 40 years resurrecting a nearly forgotten textile art, was named as the city's first official master of "saeksilnubi" (colored thread quilting). Concurrently, Shin Seon-i, an internationally recognized metalworker, was appointed as a certified "transmission educator" for "ipsajang" (iron-inlaying), an elite status that tasks her with training the next generation in a craft whose survival remains economically precarious.
Kim’s designation as a master — a title reserved for those who can flawlessly replicate historic techniques — recognizes a four-decade dedication that began in 1980, when she stumbled upon her grandfather’s antique tobacco pouch. Captivated by its raised, corded geometric patterns, she began analyzing museum relics and buying up marketplace antiques to reverse-engineer the craft.
Saeksilnubi involves twisting strips of traditional hanji mulberry paper into thin cords, placing them between two layers of silk and tightly stitching over them with multicolored threads to create a crisp, three-dimensional relief. Historically used for small aristocratic accessories like spectacle cases and thimbles, the technique had grown so obscure by the late 20th century that it lacked an official academic name until Kim's research helped codify it. Her meticulous work eventually earned her collaborations with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton.
While Kim preserves textiles, Shin’s work focuses on the unyielding surfaces of metal.
Ipsa is the painstaking art of chiseling microscopic grooves into iron or bronze and hammering fine gold or silver wire into the channels to create intricate motifs. Because of the sheer time, physical labor and cost involved, the craft has long been endangered.
Shin, an apprentice to Seoul’s resident master Choi Kyo-jun, has bridged the gap between historic preservation and contemporary global art. Aside from replicating historical silver-inlaid candlesticks for museum collections in Europe, her modern three-tiered inlaid vessel, "Embracing Lotus," was named a finalist for the prestigious international Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.
"These artisans have spent lifetimes holding the line for our traditional identity," said Huh Hye-kyung, head of Seoul’s Heritage Conservation Division. "The city will provide sustained support to ensure these fragile techniques remain stable and accessible to the public."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.