Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Seoul hosts woodworking festival at SeMoCA
People participate in making a traditional small portable dining table made of wood during the Seoul Woodworking Festival at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun
By Jung Da-hyun
Event invites citizens to explore and engage in hands-on programs
The Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted the Seoul Woodworking Festival from Thursday to Saturday at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art (SeMoCA), offering residents an opportunity to engage with carpentry and explore various leisure activities with wood.
With the theme "Let's Play with Wood, Let's Play with Haechi," the festival featured a range of hands-on programs, including woodworking workshops, exhibitions showcasing wooden sculptures, games using wooden toys and live music performances featuring wooden instruments.
The event especially aimed to familiarize participants with the art of woodworking while promoting cultural experiences centered around woodcraft.
People interested in woodworking showed great interest in booths that offered hands-on crafting experiences.
Kim Tae-hyung, a 53-year-old participant, attended the festival with his daughter and made a traditional small portable dining table.
"My daughter is interested in woodcraft, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to bond and make lasting memories together," he said.
"Not only crafting experiences, I think the festival also provides a great opportunity for families to enjoy performances and find places to relax together."
The festival featured booths from 10 districts within Seoul, each operating woodworking centers. Each booth offered a variety of programs, where participants could craft items such as traditional portable dining tables, circular stools, pot rests and keychains, all made of wood.
Yoo Chan-kyeong, a 49-year-old woman, who also made a traditional dining table, said she attended because of her husband's interest in woodworking.
"I think the table I made will be very practical. It was a great opportunity to learn things about wood I hadn't known before," she said.
Animal character sculptures crafted from wood are displayed at a booth at the Seoul Woodworking Festival in Seoul's Jongno District, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun
Several booths at the festival showcased unique wooden sculptures.
One notable display was operated by Eunpyeong District, featuring cute animal characters made with wood.
"These sculptures were all carved from damaged trees that collapsed and were abandoned in the district," Kim Mi-ran, who managed the booth, explained.
She noted that after the festival, the sculptures would be installed in local parks within the district, providing the community with lasting art.
The trees used for these sculptures were either felled or left cut and neglected after they were damaged.
"Creating art from neglected, damaged trees is meaningful. It not only offers citizens a visual attraction but also gives new life to otherwise discarded resources," Kim said, emphasizing the significance of recycling and repurposing these materials.
Families with children enjoyed live musical performances during the Seoul Woodworking Festival in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun
The wooden play area at the festival featured 15 different types of wooden toys, offering entertainment to people of all ages. Activities included rubber band shooting and spinning tops.
"It was a wonderful event, especially for the kids, and a great way to spend time outdoors," Marco, a 36-year-old who lives in Korea with his family, said.
In addition to the games, the festival offered educational programs, including learning about different types of wood, reading wood-related books and solving quizzes in tents. Participants could also paint on leftover wood pieces, adding a creative element to the experience.
"Most of the programs were well-suited for families with children, which attracted many family visitors," a city official said.
Thursday's lineup included a musical performance featuring instruments made of wood, such as violins, guitars and the gayageum, a traditional Korean zither. A bubble show, which drew enthusiastic responses from children, also took place that day. On Saturday afternoon, a concert organized by SeMoCA was held.
"We hope the festival serves as an opportunity for citizens to become more familiar with wood and woodcraft through hands-on experiences and enjoyment with nature," Lee Su-yeon, head of the city government's Garden-City Bureau, said.
"We will continue to support woodworking experience centers in Seoul to promote woodworking culture and enhance leisure and cultural activities for citizens."