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| ▲This photo, provided by Cultural Heritage Association show the title holder Park Jae-seong. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by Cultural Heritage Association show the title holder Jang Cheol-young. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by Cultural Heritage Association show the title holder Choi Sang-hoon. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL February 1 (Yonhap) -- Three of the South Korean masters who possess the talent of Mother of Pearl Inlaying, which is a Korean method of decorating the surface of objects has become the proud owner of the title of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
According to the Cultural Heritage Association addressed on Wednesday that Park Jae-seong, Jang Cheol-young, Choi Sang-hoon has been appointed as the title owner of National Intangible Cultural Heritage for Najeonjang also known as Mother of Perl Inlaying.
Najeonjang is a Korean traditional method of decorating the surface of diverse household objects by lacquering and inlaying them with strips of mother-of-pearl.
There are two significant methods of Najeonjang one of which is called “Kkeuneumjil,” where mother of pearl is sliced into thin little pieces like a sting and carefully placed in order to create geometric shapes, and “Jureumjil” where the mother of peal is rubbed with thin string on top of various objects to create unique look.
Three of the title holders are the ones who use the technique called “kkeuneumjil”
Title holder Park Jae-seong, who worked on Najeonjang for over 50 years, since he first entered the world of Najeonjang in 1967 under family’s solicitation later on was recognized as the greatest talent holder within South Gyeongsang Province in 2008.
Moreover, Jang Cheol-young who has inherited the technique from his previous title holders Song Joo-ahn and Song Bang-woong since 1977 for over 45 years, later on Jang Cheol-young was recognized as the inheritor of the Najeonjang on 1998.
Choi Sang-hoon who also started training the Najeonjang since 1966 is recognized as the one of the masters who have practiced the technique for over 56 years.
By adding three more of the title holders with “Kkeuneumjil” technique South Korean Cultural Heritage Association expects the newest addition to the group will lead the rejuvenate the inheriting process of the techniques. Up until recently there was only one person who was recognized as the title holder of Najeonjang, and he was using the “Jureumjil” technique instead of “Kkeuneumjil.”
“We will continue on with finding more with the talent to add on to the list of title holders, in order to strengthen the structure of cultural heritage” addressed official from the South Korean Cultural Heritage Association.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Joonha Yoo)
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