Famous Advertising Agency Director Quits... Sharpening Swords to Revive Korea's 'Four-Season Traditional Sword' [K Artisan Era②]

Traditional Four-Season Smelting and Traditional Sword Restoration by Han Jung-wook, Swordsmith
Left a Large Corporation to Open a Gallery in Insadong in 2001
A Sword-Obsessed Collector Who Restored Techniques After 4 Years of Trial and Error
Works Only Until Age 75, Regretting the Reality That Preservation Takes Priority Over Restoration

"Everyone naturally has their own sword."

Han Jeong-wook, a swordsmith (71), said this with a rather serious expression as he put down a large sword. To him, a sword is more than just a cutting tool; it is a responsibility, a belief, and a symbolic object imbued with sacrifice, honor, and pride.

[K Artisan Era] Han Jeong-wook, a swordsmith, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Insadong Sword Museum. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

To recreate the now-extinct Korean traditional swords, Han first delved into historical texts such as the Annals of King Sejong and Shinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam. He visited every traceable site of sand iron (沙鐵, iron ore deposited in sand-like formations under rivers or seas, used as raw material for ironmaking) production across the country, tracing the sand itself. People who saw him at the time naturally assumed he was either the son of a craftsman or a related expert. However, he was a salaried worker who had served as a director at the advertising company Oricom. Han is a craftsman who opened the second act of his life by dedicating himself to sword-making as a hobby after retirement.

"When I was in middle school, I joined the Boy Scouts and needed a knife to cut wood and tools, so I bought a U.S. military M1 bayonet with my allowance. Naturally, I became interested in swords. Whenever I had some allowance, I started collecting swords. By the time I graduated high school, I had about 200 swords."

He had many other collections, but why swords? He said he always carried a sword with him since his school days. Carrying a sword brought many hardships. "Only South Korea and Japan classify swords as weapons worldwide. The current Korean Sword Act originated during the Japanese colonial period. In the Joseon Dynasty, there was a culture among scholars of owning small swords because they believed swords drove away evil spirits. Joseon was a country that rejected superstition. However, the royal family directly bestowed 'Saingeom' (tiger-symbolizing swords made in the year, month, day, and hour of the tiger, believed to be imbued with pure yang energy to ward off ghosts and disasters) to royal relatives or loyal subjects. In reality, Saingeom were not protective or combat swords but objects with shamanistic significance, so over time, they were often altered to sizes and weights that humans could not wield."

Han Jung-wook, a swordsmith, watching the four-season smelting process. [Photo by Han Jung-wook, Swordsmith]

After finishing his career, in March 2001, Han opened a knife gallery in Insadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, showcasing various swords and spears he had collected from around the world. "The National Police Agency rejected my gallery opening application twice, and I almost couldn't open it. People said it looked like a gangster's armory, but I asked them to understand that a space exhibiting sword culture was being created in the cultural district of Insadong, and eventually, I opened it."

After immersing himself in collecting swords worldwide, he suddenly wanted to make traditional Korean swords. So, he embarked on restoring the steelmaking technique of sand iron, which had disappeared. Unlike general iron processing that extracts pure iron from iron ore, sand iron is made by smelting sand mixed with iron on the beach. After visiting every sand iron production site mentioned in the Annals of King Sejong, he found the optimal sand at Gampo Port in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk Province. Gampo has been a famous sand iron production area since the Silla period. There is even a story that during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese army extracted sand iron here for weapon manufacturing.

With a dream to restore ancient swords from the Three Kingdoms period, he built a smelting plant in Yangju in 2003 and began full-scale sand iron sword restoration work. Although he could have made swords from steel plates produced at a steel mill, why did he insist on sand iron? "The old swords of our ancestors were made from steel smelted from sand iron. It is difficult to make traditional swords with steel from a steel mill." Sand iron contains many impurities, so the amount of steel obtained is small. Nearly ten times the amount of sand iron is needed to get one geun (about 600 grams) of iron. Also, because he insists on traditional methods using pine firewood, making one sword costs hundreds of thousands to millions of won.

The smelting process, difficult even for experts, was no easy task. Han said he struggled with charcoal for nearly four years to reach the temperature needed to melt sand iron. When blowing air to make the charcoal burn well, the sand iron did not melt properly. Moreover, since the smelting plant was outdoors, there were many variables. Repeating the trial and error that blacksmiths of the Three Kingdoms period experienced, he gained insight into "things that do not go as people wish." "So before the iron folding process, I offer dried pollack and Makgeolli. It is not religious but a way to ask nature for help."

Cross-section of an iron sand steel ingot extracted through the smelting of iron sand (Sacheol). The cross-section of the ingot made by extracting iron from iron sand and melting it in a charcoal-heated blast furnace. The swordsmith explained that using iron sand as the raw material instead of iron ore to make ingots is because iron sand contains a high amount of titanium, allowing for stronger steel.
[Photo by Han Jeong-wook, Swordsmith]

In the past, there was even a saying that forests disappeared because of making iron (weapons). Though this method has now vanished, he insisted on it. Showing a heavy iron block made of dozens of layers like tree rings, he said, "The iron obtained after folding hundreds of kilograms of sand iron is just one lump. Then, impurities are filtered out, and the iron is heated, folded, and hammered dozens of times to achieve this grain with over 4,000 layers. How about it? Pretty cool, right?"

Han Jeong-wook's swords, born through a special process, attract extraordinary customers. From qigong practitioners seeking mystical energy to shamans, famous businesspeople, and foreign dignitaries known by name. While there are many swordsmiths elsewhere, Han is the only one making swords using the traditional sand iron method, so these customers come to him solely for the sword, not for titles like master craftsman or human cultural asset. Indeed, Japanese swords made by the same sand iron method are produced through a five-step process with craftsmen specializing in each field. In contrast, Han does all the processes alone except for decoration. This makes his finished products feel even more special.

After much effort, in 2011, he was recognized as an expert by taking charge of restoring the Hwandudaedo excavated from the Tomb of King Muryeong. The Hwandudaedo is a large sword with a round ring under the handle, and the one from King Muryeong's tomb is considered the finest masterpiece among those excavated so far. In this restoration, he applied a folding technique of folding the iron fifteen times, meticulously reproducing the highest Baekje technology based on historical verification. The restoration project of seven items, including Chiljido and Hwandudaedo, cost a total of 180 million won, making the price of one Hwandudaedo about 20 to 30 million won.

Although he single-handedly restored the sand iron smelting technique, he failed the important cultural asset examination in 2015. The reason was insufficient transmission activities. The designation of national cultural assets highly values traditions passed down through generations. Since his technique was not inherited from his father or master, there were many differences in evaluation criteria. "There are scholars who theoretically know how to make sand iron, but no one has actually collected sand iron, smelted it, and made steel. Can we call silver swords and knives made in factories using Australian iron ore our traditional swords? I think the government lacks interest in preserving original technology because it focuses too much on the transmission of skills."

[K Artisan Era] Han Jeong-wook, a swordsmith, is holding a Joseon Dynasty sword he personally recreated at the Insadong Sword Museum. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Though the restored technique is difficult, Han plans to hold the hammer only until he is 75 and retire afterward. His son helps him when he works, but he has no intention of passing this work on as a profession. Apprentices who came to learn in the past also left, saying it was too hard and the income was low.

"To pass on the sand iron smelting technique, universities need to train successors or local governments need to create transmission centers through agreements. But the reality is not easy. Also, just running the smelting plant and knife gallery requires covering costs through sword sales. Considering rent and apprentices' wages, it is difficult for an individual to bear. I feel regretful."

Though he smiled bitterly, Han Jeong-wook is still exploring various ways to preserve the sand iron smelting technique. Every morning, he goes to his workshop to polish his swords, and in the afternoon, he goes to the Insadong gallery to introduce the history and tradition of Korean swords to visitors and foreign tourists unfamiliar with traditional swords.