The Korea Heritage Service announced Thursday that Han Ki-deok, 52, has been preliminarily designated as the master artisan of hwagakjang, a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage.
Han is the son of the late Han Chun-seop, who held the Gyeonggi Province hwagakjang designation. He has carried on the hwagak tradition since helping his father's work as a middle school student. He became a certified trainee in Gyeonggi Province in 2002 and a transmission instructor of Gyeonggi Province hwagakjang in 2005, creating works that preserve the inherent beauty and traditional essence of hwagak.
Hwagakjang refers to the technique—or a person skilled in the technique—of thinning ox horn into transparent sheets, painting them with colors, and decorating wooden objects. Due to the rarity of materials and complexity of the production process, hwagak items were primarily made as high-end crafts.
The Korea Heritage Service stated that Han "has faithfully inherited and contributed to restoring the traditional techniques and tools required for hwagak production."
