2023 Korea Craft Week kicked off Friday with more than 880 galleries, studios and institutes of craft art across the country to showcase a variety of craft art. The craft week is the largest government-led craft festival in South Korea.

The craft week includes 1,835 programs related to craft art inviting people to join the festival across cities from Friday to May 28. This year’s edition will center on Bukchon, an old town in central Seoul full of traditional houses, located next to the main palace, Gyeongbokgung.

Seoul Museum of Craft Art in central Seoul, a few minutes' walk from Bukchon is a must-visit place during craft week. The museum runs three exhibitions that introduce the beauty of Korean craftsmanship. The exhibition “Bojagi, Embracing Daily Life” shows a variety designs of bojagi, or wrapping cloth, and how Koreans used it for different purposes. The museum will host a talk program on May 25 to explore how Korea’s craft art industry can be improved.

At “Yeorlin Songhyeon,” the large open space located next to the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, will turn into a craft market from May 26 to 28. Craft art studios of glass, textile and metal across Buckchon will also offer craft classes. Further details on the programs, including the map of the studios and participating galleries across the nation, can be found at the official website of 2023 Korea Craft Week.

KCDF Gallery in Insa-dong, central Seoul, is presenting the exhibition “Stage for the young local creators” joined by Korea’s emerging craft artists from different provinces to show unique characteristics from different regions.

The craft week was inaugurated in 2018 to celebrate the beauty of Korea’s craft.