Seoul’s antique markets: old sentiments, modern city

THE ORIGINAL ESSAY

5,000 years of Korean history has allowed numerous artists and artisans to establish Korean handicrafts place among the Asian artistic traditions. Different periods gave rise to numerous styles of fine art, pottery, and furniture; each era exhibiting a distinctive aesthetic while demonstrating an overall inclination toward modest natural beauty with elegant lines and graceful forms. Seeing and touching such historical items allows one to appreciate the artistic value and widen one’s perspective. As such, many foreigners who visit Korea search the strange alleys for antiques, often buying something (small or large) to remind them of the magnificence of such historical and cultural assets.

Art galleries and antique shops throughout Seoul display the works of old manuscripts, antique furniture, paintings, ironware and even old iron hinged wooden chests. Korean antiques vividly reflect its culture in their unique design. A mirrored jewelry box with drawers, finished in black lacquer and mother-of-pearl inlays on gingko wood is decorated with symbols of happiness and longevity, attesting to Korean women’s attention to their appearance. A wedding chest crafted of painted paper on pine with iron-handles signifies devotion to family. And antique books, hand-inscribed by the Yangban aristocratic class, exhibit how Koreans value education.

Everything, from expensive antique originals to reproductions of Yi dynasty furnishings, is available in one of the three main centers for antique shopping in Seoul: Janganpyeong, Itaewon and Insadong.

Janganpyeong specializes in traditional everyday items rather than expensive works of art, while the antique furniture street in Itaewon is famous both to Koreans and foreigners for offering a mixture of antique furniture in a broad price range, while also offering unique items from Europe, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.

Over forty percent of the nation’s antique stores are in Insadong. Among the antiques are traditional paintings, calligraphy, pottery, wooden containers and jewelry including the earthenware of Unified Shilla and the white pottery of the Joseon Dynasty. The antique book street of Insadong is also worth a visit. Well-thumbed, rare and out-of-print books lurk in hidden corners to be discovered by the serious book hunter.

These antique streets maintain their old sentiments even in this fiercely modernizing city.

From Peter’s supplied Seoul guidebook introduction, chapter 17. Original observations and historical framing are retained. PDF line-break and spacing repairs are recorded separately from factual updates. Guidebook photography and venue directories are not republished.