There are some intangible cultural skills that are treasured among the Korean people. These skills are no longer widespread and only a few talented people have the knowledge to possess these particular skills. Many of these skills were once utilized in Korea’s past, but have become obsolete with industrialization. Here are a few of these important skills :

A Wanchojang(완초장) is someone who has the skill to make items out of sedge plants. Sedge plant craftsmen are talented individuals; who can make mats, baskets, hats, cushions, shoes, bowls, containers to put trinkets in, and other items. The area particularly known for containing such talented individuals is Incheon (인천).

People who are Dancheonjang (단청장) are basically painters who specialize in painting temples and palaces. Dancheonjang are specialized painters who know how to cover up unseemly parts of old buildings by using certain colors in a certain pattern. They also know what colors will stand out from afar and plan this in their architectural painting jobs.

Onggijang (옹기장) are artisans who make large earthenware jars. In some traditional villages in Korea, these jars are still used to store kimchee, water, soybean paste and other fermented and non fermented foods. Craftsmen from different regions make different kinds of jars because the characteristics of the region in which the craftsman lives, influences the type of jar made.

People who possess the skills of a Hanjijang (한지장) are specialists in the field of Korean paper craftsmanship. Traditional Korean paper is made from the bark of Mulberry trees. The paper can be used to make all sorts of artistic crafts like a reproduction of a nature scene (photo below), or be functional for the use of Buddhist scrolls.

Geumbakjang (금박장) is a term used to describe artists who work with gold leaf designs on hanbok (한복). Hanbok is a traditional type of Korean clothing. Elaborate and fancy hanboks have gold leaf patterns. In the old days, the nobility and the wealthy wore hanbok with gold leaf designs. Therefore wearing a gold leaf hanbok meant that the person was a person of status.