K-Crafts Captivating the World Gathered in One Place... '2023 Gongye Trend Fair' Opens

From the 14th to the 17th, COEX, Samseong-dong, Seoul

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, together with the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, it will hold the ‘2023 Craft Trend Fair’ at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, until the 17th.

On the 9th, visitors participating in the '2022 Craft Trend Fair' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, are viewing craft exhibits. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The ‘Craft Trend Fair’ is the largest craft-specialized exhibition in Korea connecting consumers and artisans, which started in 2006 and is celebrating its 18th edition this year.

This event features 276 participants including artisans, workshops, galleries, and institutions, showcasing a diverse range of crafts from everyday items such as dining tables, tableware, lighting, and furniture to ‘objets’ that elevate Korean sentiments and craft techniques into art.

This year, the fair strengthened its role as a craft distribution exhibition through various programs aimed at expanding the market for K-Craft and creating new business opportunities. These include export consultation meetings, one-on-one consultations with participants, networking events for business-to-business transactions, exchanges between distribution stakeholders and artisans, and online sales support through collaboration with the distribution platform SSG.COM. Additionally, the invitation of overseas buyers, which had been suspended due to COVID-19, has resumed to actively support K-Craft’s entry into overseas markets.

The exhibition features ▲the ‘Emerging Artisans Hall’ presenting fresh and highly original crafts by talented new artisans ▲the ‘Craft Workshop Hall’ exhibiting excellent crafts from competitive craft companies and workshops ▲the ‘Craft Academy Hall’ showcasing creative crafts by students from domestic universities and graduate schools ▲the ‘Craft Mediation Hall’ where visitors can see high-quality craft works from professional galleries and institutions ▲the ‘KCDF Promotion Hall’ sharing various project outcomes of the Korea Craft & Design Foundation ▲and the ‘Archive Hall’ organizing 17 years of records of the ‘Craft Trend Fair’ and exploring future directions, presenting a variety of works and business achievements.

Special lectures for young artisans will be held on the 16th and 17th. Lee Hyejin, CEO of Seed Gallery, will give a lecture titled ‘Promoting Myself as an Artist at Overseas Art Fairs,’ and Seo Hyunseok, Director of Samsung Leeum Store, will speak on ‘Craft Distribution and Branding.’ Artist Ha Myunggu from the ‘Marunuma Forest of Art Artist in Residency’ in Japan and Kim Hyunju, studio director, will also be lecturers. This special lecture series was prepared reflecting opinions gathered at the craft industry field meeting held last November.

Lee Eunbok, Director of Arts Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “This year’s fair was carefully and thoughtfully prepared to enhance visitor convenience and satisfaction by widening viewing pathways, expanding rest areas, and providing services such as craft packaging and delivery, as well as clothing storage for visitors.” She added, “We hope many people visit the fair to experience the ever-evolving K-Craft firsthand.”

2023 Craft Trend Fair Poster. [Photo by Korea Craft & Design Foundation]