Craft, magazine fairs open simultaneously in Seoul

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- Two cultural fairs kicked off simultaneously in Seoul
Thursday, demonstrating the latest trends in the global magazine and craft
industries, organizers said.
Drawing some 2,300 magazine publishers from around South Korea, the first Seoul
Magazine Fair will run through Sunday at COEX in southern Seoul, featuring both
contemporary magazines and those no longer in print.
"This is the first all-magazine exhibition in Korea, and (this kind of event) is
very unusual and unique even outside of the country," said Jeon Woong-jin, chief
organizer of the event.
"We made the decision to launch this event to promote and activate the magazine
publishing industry amid the difficulties we face in the Internet-oriented era,"
he added. "I am hoping this event will play a role in changing the general
public's perspective on the role of magazines in our society."
The event, organized by the Korea Magazine Association and sponsored by the
culture ministry and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will be comprised of
eight booths focusing on everything from the history of magazines to how they are
made.
Up to 2,700 contemporary magazines dealing with fashion, art, interior and
childcare will be displayed, while the history booth will show some of Korea's
oldest magazines -- dating back to 1896.
An international booth will feature popular magazines from Japan, China, the
United States as well as Europe. A booth looking towards the future will display
digitalized magazine formats by major South Korean publishers including HM Korea
and Design House.
The International Craft Trend Fair will also run for four days through Sunday at
COEX, exhibiting crafts made from metal, textiles, wood, glass, stone and Korean
paper or "hanji", demonstrating domestic trends and the direction of the market's
growth.
Hosted by the Korea Craft Promotion Foundation, the event was first launched in
2006 and has been joined by some 100 local craftmakers and firms each year. The
fair drew about 4,000 visitors last year, according to the event's Web site.
Held under the theme "Craft Renaissance," this year's event will be presented in
four sections -- industry, feature, advertising and experience, and provides an
opportunity for domestic craft enterprises to promote their work to visitors from
around the country and aboard.
Most of the crafts exhibited during the fair will be available for purchase.
Student artwork will be on sale at relatively cheap prices, organizers said.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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