[Editor's note] Job switching is common. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS), from 2018 to 2023 only 4 out of 10 people stayed at the same workplace. In particular, Millennials and Gen Z (born in the 1980s–2000s) prioritize growth potential and personal values over stability and are less hesitant to change jobs. In this era, there are young people who chose to dig one well instead of moving. We present stories of "artisans" who chose depth over speed and mastery over trend.
Inside an alley of Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno District, Seoul, at a hanok-based workshop named "Geumbakyeon," Kim Jin-ho, 27, is in the state-designated Intangible Cultural Heritage gold leaf artisan trainee program. Now serving as research director of the workshop, Kim entered the transmission training under his father, holder of the gold leaf artisan title, Kim Ki-ho, five years ago.
Geumbak is a craft that hammers gold thinner than a hair and stamps patterns on fabric or leather. After applying paste to a pattern board and stamping, you lay gold leaf, then brush it off for the pattern to appear. Depending on the process, it takes months, or more than a year. Kim called it "the aesthetics of creation and destruction." Kim said, "You have to deliberately remove what you attached for the true value to emerge."
Kim's family has carried on the royal court gilding artisan line for six generations since 1856 in the reign of Cheoljong of Joseon. That makes 170 years this year. A gilding artisan is a craftsperson who applies gold leaf to textiles or attire to express patterns.
It began with the first-generation artisan Kim Wan-hyung, followed by the second generation Kim Won-sun, the third generation Kim Kyung-yong, and the fourth generation Kim Deok-hwan, with Kim's father, title holder Kim Ki-ho, as the fifth generation. On the 5th, President Lee Jae-myung presented "Dragon Gate Framed Painting" to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Korea-China summit, and it was also the work of artisan Kim Ki-ho. The dragon and chrysanthemum arabesque patterns were expressed in gold leaf to symbolize royal dignity and prosperity.
Kim's mother, gold leaf artisan licensee Park Su-young, took part in reproductions including the National Museum of Korea's "Cheongyeon Gunju no-ui," as well as "Princess Yeongchin consort hapi" and "Prince Uichin consort nogwonsam." Second-generation artisan Kim Won-sun is recorded in the "Uigwe for the State Funeral of Empress Myeongseong," and third-generation artisan Kim Kyung-yong was recognized as the first holder of the national intangible cultural property gold leaf artisan title.
Kim had watched gold leaf work since childhood, but said Kim did not decide to take over the family business from the start. While majoring in animation and considering another path, Kim said the era of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology led to rethinking the meaning of hand-worked gold leaf. The following is a Q&A with Kim.
— What do you think geumbak is?
"It's a craft that is familiar yet always new, with boundless possibilities. You apply paste to a pattern board, stamp it on fabric, lay gold, then hand-remove the gold from areas without paste for the pattern to emerge. Paradoxically, only by deliberately dropping the applied gold does the true value appear. It's a repeated process of creation and destruction."
— What made you decide to carry on the transmission?
"I didn't plan to take over the family business from the beginning. I liked making things by hand, so I majored in animation. But as AI technology advanced rapidly, I became skeptical of creation that simply uses technology to produce outcomes. In that process I reconsidered the essence of creation, and turned to gold leaf work, which holds personal philosophy, history, and invariance."
— The weight of the family business can't be light.
"Thinking of the roots passed down from my great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, I feel a strong sense of responsibility. Still, I consider it a great fortune to learn from a holder of the national intangible cultural heritage gold leaf artisan title. Every time I encounter my father's know-how up close, I'm impressed.
Since the whole family works together, daily life itself becomes time for transmission. Not only during work hours but even while eating and talking, coordination and refinement continue. Sharing ideas is also much freer. On holidays, we visit museums as a family to view artifacts and discuss them."
— What was the hardest part when first learning gold leaf work?
"I was used to the American animation style of drawing, so rendering Korean patterns that bring out the brush line was especially hard. I still study by looking at artifacts and books, and I keep practicing to capture the feel of the lines."
— Has the rise in gold prices had an impact?
"A big one. In gold leaf work, materials account for a high share of costs, so rising gold prices become a burden. So we don't always use pure gold leaf. Depending on the nature of the piece, we sometimes use gold mixed with other metals."
— There's also a stereotype that traditional crafts are "stuffy."
"Even looking at the globally popular animation "K-pop Demon Hunters," traditional crafts can be plenty appealing to the public. Of course, it's also necessary to break the long-held preconception that they're "old."
Many people don't know what processes gold leaf clothing or crafts go through before completion. If we share both the production process and the value, I believe interest will naturally expand."
— Why apply gold leaf to everyday items?
"I wanted to show that traditional crafts don't have to remain past ornaments and can be beautiful everyday goods even now. I apply gold leaf to things used daily, such as leather card wallets, handbags, and key rings, and I continue to submit works to exhibitions and collaborate with fashion brands."
— What is your goal as a gold leaf artisan trainee?
"This is an era when many jobs can disappear due to the advancement of AI. All the more, I believe we must preserve the unique value of things made by human hands. I will keep thinking about ways for traditional crafts to feel more familiar to the public and continue making new attempts."