A handcrafted traditional pouch created using the "saeksilnubi" quilting technique. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government
In a bid to safeguard Korea’s vanishing artisan heritage, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has designated two women to lifelong honors in the traditional crafts of geometric silk quilting and intricate metal inlaying, the city said Friday.
Kim Yun-sun, a veteran artisan who has spent more than 40 years resurrecting a nearly forgotten textile art, was named as the city's first official master of "saeksilnubi" (colored thread quilting). Concurrently, Shin Seon-i, an internationally recognized metalworker, was appointed as a certified "transmission educator" for "ipsajang" (iron-inlaying), an elite status that tasks her with training the next generation in a craft whose survival remains economically precarious.
Kim’s designation as a master — a title reserved for those who can flawlessly replicate historic techniques — recognizes a four-decade dedication that began in 1980, when she stumbled upon her grandfather’s antique tobacco pouch. Captivated by its raised, corded geometric patterns, she began analyzing museum relics and buying up marketplace antiques to reverse-engineer the craft.
