Woodcraft Vacation

[Anchor Lead]

Some vacationers skip the beach or exotic overseas travel to hunker down and learn the craft of traditional woodcraft. Here’s a look at these ambitious folks honing their traditional craftsmanship.

[Soundbite] "It's vital to carve it out while maintaining a right angle."

[Pkg]

One end of a wooden beam is carved out with a tool. This is part of a traditional furniture-making course in which a desk is made by interlocking wooden pieces without using a single nail.

[Soundbite] Yoo Dae-geon(Experiencing traditional furniture craft) : "I'm understanding more about the interlocking method. I'm learning a lot and enjoying this as if I'm on vacation."

[Soundbite] "You have to sautee it well to get this color. If you make a mistake, the color wouldn't be right."

Soy bean powder is mixed with syrup and the dough is pressed into a mold to complete a Korean traditional dessert called "dasik."

[Soundbite] Yang Won-jin(Experiencing traditional confectionery) : "I'm learning so that I can make them with care and send them to my in-laws when my daughter gets married."

There are four courses teaching traditional crafts, including needleworks and confectionery classes. These classes, held only in summer, were completely filled on the first day of registration.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-cheol(Dir., Korea Traditional Culture Center) : "We're preparing about five courses in which master craftsmen are going to teach furniture-making, needleworks, and daegeum-making."

Many people still continue to exert great effort to learn Korean traditions and keep them alive.