First Lady Kim Jung-sook Promotes Excellence of Korean 'Hanji' in Italy... "Hope It Becomes a Precious Asset for Humanity"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] "I hope that Hanji, the traditional Korean paper made for a thousand years, will be passed down as a precious asset of humanity even a thousand years from now."

Kim Jung-sook, the First Lady of South Korea, who is touring Europe with President Moon Jae-in for the G20 Summit and other events, attended a meeting with Italian Hanji experts at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts on the afternoon of the 30th (local time) to promote the excellence of Hanji.

At the meeting, First Lady Kim began her evening greeting in Italian with 'Buona sera' and said, "For many years, Koreans have recorded important national events on paper called ‘Hanji’ and expressed joy and sorrow through paintings and writings."

She also mentioned that Korea’s ‘Mugujeonggwang Daedaranigyeong,’ the world’s oldest woodblock print, is a Hanji heritage printed 1,300 years ago, and that precious human heritage such as Pope John XXIII’s globe and Leonardo da Vinci’s works were restored using Hanji, emphasizing its excellence. The First Lady added a special touch by writing her greeting on Hanji paper.

The meeting was attended by Cecilia Casorati, Dean of the Rome Academy of Fine Arts; Riccardo Ayossa, Head of the Paper Research Department at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts; Chiara Fornacari, Head of Paper Restoration at the Vatican Museums; Luigi Cupone, Professor at the Rome University of Industrial Design; and An Chi-yong, holder of the Korean National Intangible Cultural Heritage Hanji Master title. They explained the excellence of Hanji in cultural heritage and artwork restoration, fine arts, and industrial design.

Fornacari, the head of paper restoration, pronounced the First Lady’s name clearly in Korean as ‘Kim Jung-sook’ and expressed, "I am very honored and nervous to be here in front of the First Lady today." Hanji master An Chi-yong, who attended the special lecture on Hanji, said, "It is very rewarding to preserve the wise Hanji-making methods and pass them on to the world," adding, "I hope the charm of Hanji will spread worldwide."

First Lady Kim Jung-sook concluded by saying, "The flexible yet strong characteristics of Hanji reflect the traits of the Korean people," and emphasized, "I want to remember here the hard work of Korean Hanji artisans who have preserved Hanji amid the waves of modernization."

In the following Hanji-making demonstration and practical workshop, First Lady Kim and students from the Rome Academy of Fine Arts participated and learned Hanji sheet-making techniques from Master An Chi-yong. Wearing a Hanji handbag, First Lady Kim gifted Hanji aprons and Hanji notebooks to the students at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.