The Korea National Arboretum is holding an exhibition of traditional wooden furniture and stringed instruments at its forest museum for a whole month from late October to Nov. 21. A total of 39 items of wooden furniture and five stringed instruments are currently on display.

Visitors will get to see how different types of wood are joined together to become a complete work of art for daily use in Korea few centuries ago.

For example, red oak or zelkova trees were used for making strong pillars at home and the wood of the persimmon tree with its beautiful patterns was used as decorative material for making things like door hinges. Paulownia trees, which are resistant to beetles and other insects, were used for making book shelves and continue to be used as a main constituent of making traditional musical instruments, together with wood from chestnut, cherry, pear and walnut trees. 

The artifacts displayed are a revival of old furniture designs of the late half of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) by traditional wood artisans like Jo Hwa-shin (important intangible cultural property no. 55), Jeon Jin-ho (Gyeongsangnam-do Province intangible cultural property no. 29) and musical instrument artisan Choi Tae-gwi (important intangible cultural property no. 42).

The Arboretum is holding the exhibition to remind the public of the importance of traditional wooden artifacts in Korea and how wood resources can be facilitated to keep that part of culture alive. Situated in the lush forest of Gwangneung in Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province), the place has been open to the public since 1987.

There are 15 specialized plant gardens, a forest zoo, a herbarium and a seed bank. As the place once belonged to the royal family of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) you can also visit the mausoleum of one of the kings, Sejo (1417-1468), who was the sixth on the throne. The exhibition at the forest museum is free if you have paid the entrance fee for the Arboretum.  

For more questions call 031-540-1042 or visit English website
For interpreting service call Korea Travel Phone: 1330 (English, Chinese and Japanese)

By Kim Hee-sung
Korea.net Staff Writer