Daejeon City Registers Hong Gyeong-seon Daemokjang as City Intangible Cultural Asset

Hong Kyung-sun Daemokjang. Provided by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Hong Gyeong-seon, a master carpenter (Daemokjang), has been registered as an intangible cultural asset of Daejeon City.

The city announced on the 4th that starting this year, the Daemokjang category has been designated as a city intangible cultural asset, and Hong Gyeong-seon was the first to be registered.

Hong Gyeong-seon is a descendant of a carpenter family who inherited the skills from his father, Hong Sa-gu, and has been working as a master carpenter since 1980, building or repairing over 200 traditional buildings to date.

Among the buildings that passed through Hong Gyeong-seon's hands are many important cultural properties of Korea, including Andong Sohoheon, designated as a treasure, and Hapcheon Haeinsa Gyeonghakwon, a cultural asset of Gyeongnam Province.

Recognized for his skills and the traditional value as an intangible cultural asset, Hong Gyeong-seon was appointed last year as a specialist member of the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Cultural Heritage Repair Technology Committee and was recently elected chairman of the Korea Cultural Heritage Craftsmen Association.

Im Jae-ho, head of the city’s Cultural Heritage Division, said, “The city will develop a training program for the Daemokjang category at the ‘Jeontong Naraegwan,’ a training center for intangible cultural skills, and provide citizens with opportunities to experience Daemokjang, a unique intangible heritage of Korea.”

Meanwhile, Korean carpenters are generally divided into Somokjang, who make everyday furniture such as small tables and wardrobes, and Daemokjang, who build palaces, temples, and ordinary houses.

The origin of Daemokjang dates back to the record in the Samguk Yusa, which states that “when King Seondeok of Silla requested craftsmen from Baekje to build the nine-story pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple, a master carpenter named Abiji brought 200 technicians,” indicating its long history.

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