The Korea Times

Saeksil Nubi: colorful quilting

Kim Yoon-sun creates various items from traditional thimbles to modern products such as handbags and accessories in her studio in Anguk-dong, central Seoul. Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chulBy Chung Ah-young "Saeksil nubi," which refers to traditional Korean quilted items made with "hanji" (traditional Korean mulberry paper) and colorful threads, were believed to have been developed out of necessity by commoners, who wanted more durable daily items. Thus, such items looked simple and very practical. Saeksil nubi quilting was widely used to make cases for a wide range of objects, from tobacco pouches to spectacle cases and "golmu" or thimbles, particularly during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).Kim Yoon-sun, a saeksil nubi artisan who has pioneered the revival of this traditional quilting for more than 30 years, holds a special memory of her grandfather's saeksil nubi tobacco pouch. The pouch, which has been handed down from generation to generation, symbolizes the virtues of this art — useful and beautiful. The pouch is still in good condition despite its age. "I wa

Feb 5, 2019By Shim Hyun-chul

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Najeonchilgi

Clockwise from top are Kim Jeong-yeoul in front of his "najeonchilgi" wardrobe in his workshop and Lacquerware Inlaid with Mother-of-pearl Experience Center and Succession Hall in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chulMaster experiments in lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearlBy Chung Ah-youngYANGJU, Gyeonggi Province — A stackable dish box adorned with fragmented nacre pieces shaped in baby's breath flowers remains unfinished and perhaps never will be. Kim Jeong-yeoul, an artisan of "najeonchilgi," or lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, has stopped working on it since 2008 when he went through the most difficult time in his life.Kim introduced this "unfinished" work as the product of "han" or hopeless sadness combined with anger, which well describes a lonely artisan who has survived in this modern era. "I thought this would be one of my lifetime masterpieces when I began working on it. But I couldn't finish it because I experienced a very difficult time back then," he said in an interview with The Korea Times. Nevertheless, Kim said that throug

Feb 4, 2019By Shim Hyun-chul

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Australian Open 2019

Japan's Naomi Osaka serves to Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. Reuters The roof of Rod Laver Arena is closed during the women's semifinal between Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and United States' Danielle Collins due to extreme heat at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. AP United States' Serena Williams prepares to serve to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. AP Japan's Naomi Osaka prepares to serve to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019. AP Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas serves to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. AP

Jan 31, 2019By Shim Hyun-chul

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Metal crafting, Master seeks to popularize traditional metal craft

Master seeks to popularize traditional metal craftArticle by Chung Ah-young, Photos and Video by Shim Hyun-chulBUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province — It is no accident that Cartier is one of the world's most esteemed luxury jewelry brands. The French jewelry maker has a 168-year-old tradition of producing jewelry and watches for royalty.Are there any well-known Korean brands that have been making jewelry for a long time, like Cartier? There could be in the future, but not at this time. Kwack Hong-chan, a third-generation traditional metal artisan, said he aims to make his craft known around the world."We have a long history of creating splendid metalwork. Even today, artisans have kept the tradition of producing high-quality artwork using the ancient skills that have been handed down from generation to generation. But we don't have any widely known brand that is based on a centuries-old traditional craft," Kwack said in an interview with The Korea Times.His grandfather Kwack Sun-bok created metalwork for the court and the noble class in Insa-dong, central Seoul, during the late Joseon Ki

Dec 23, 2018By Shim Hyun-chul

Metal crafting, Master seeks to popularize traditional metal craft

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Pictures of the year 2018

A child sleeps in a bag in the village of Beit Sawa, eastern Ghouta, Syria, March 15, 2018. Reuters Women, photographed from the Chinese side of the border, are seen through binoculars fixed on a building on the Chinese side of the border for sightseers to look across to North Korea, as they cross the bridge from Namyang in North Korea towards the town of Tumen in China, November 24, 2017. Reuters South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018. Korea Summit Press Pool U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for travel to Ohio at the Morristown Airport in Morristown, NJ, U.S., August 4, 2018. Reuters Pope Francis arrives at Aglona Basilica in Aglona, Latvia, September 24, 2018. Reuters A student is seen as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attend a rally with Thurgood Marshall Academy students in advance of Saturday's March for Our Lives event in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2018. Re

Dec 18, 2018By Shim Hyun-chul

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Hurricane Michael

This photo made available by NASA shows they eye of Hurricane Michael, as seen from the International Space Station on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. AP Meteorologists John Kaplan and Jack Parrish view data streaming in on their workstation Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018 aboard NOAA's Gulfstream IV jet callsign NOAA-49, a high-tech, high-flying, and high-speed platform used for hurricane forecasting and research. During this mission NOAA-49 flew a 2,400 mile 5.5 hour mission at 45,000 ft. around Hurricane Michael to create a detailed picture of the surrounding upper atmosphere. AP Debris is blown down a street by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane made landfall on the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. AFP A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle during the eye of Hurricane Michael to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. AP People watch as Hurricane Michael makes landfall on October 10, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. AFP President Donald Trump points towards m

Oct 11, 2018By Shim Hyun-chul

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Indonesia quake

The remains of a mosque destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami lay in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, October 5, 2018. Reuters Indonesian men survey the damage in Balaroa neighborhood in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. Home to hundreds of families, the neighborhood was once a patchwork of asphalted streets and tidy houses. Now it looks as if it was picked up and thrown back to earth with vicious force. Four days after the earthquake and tsunami hit the Indonesian city of Palu, this devastated neighborhood has received no government help and anger is simmering among its residents. AP A checkerboard wall of a damaged building is seen as quake-affected residents (bottom C) ride their motorcycle past debris in Palu, Indonesia's Central Sulawesi on October 4, 2018, following the September 28 earthquake and tsunami. - The death toll in Indonesia's twin quake-tsunami disaster passed 1,400 Wednesday, with time running out to rescue survivors and the UN warning of "vast" unmet needs that have fuelled looting. AFP An aerial view of the destruction c

Oct 8, 2018By Shim Hyun-chul