Jeonju City Launches "National Traditional House Viewing Environment Improvement Traditional Hanji" Support Program

Development of Cultural Heritage Preservation and the Traditional Hanji Industry

Jeonju City in Jeollabuk-do is promoting the "National Traditional House Viewing Environment Improvement Traditional Hanji Support Project" to preserve the original form of cultural heritage.

Jeonju City in Jeollabuk-do is promoting the "National Traditional House Viewing Environment Improvement Traditional Hanji Support Project" to preserve the original form of cultural heritage.

According to the city on December 29, this project is led by the National Heritage Administration and funded by donations from the National Credit Union Federation of Korea. The core of the project is to supply traditional Hanji window paper, made using traditional methods, to traditional architectural structures across the country, with the aim of preserving cultural heritage and ensuring the sustainable development of the traditional Hanji industry.

Through this initiative, the city has contributed not only to restoring the unique aesthetics and functions of major traditional houses and buildings nationwide by replacing and repairing Hanji window paper, but also to improving the cultural experience environment for visitors.

For this project, the Jeonju Hanji Cooperative supplied traditional Hanji, which was distributed to cultural heritage stewardship organizations and heritage care centers in 23 regions nationwide, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Honam, Yeongnam, and Jeju.

The supplied Hanji amounted to 704 sheets of traditional Hanji small-format paper (63×93cm) and 2,654 sheets of large-format paper (75×145cm).

Notably, the traditional Hanji used in this project is Jeonju Hanji, produced and delivered by members of the Jeonju Hanji Cooperative using traditional manufacturing techniques. This material, recognized for its excellent breathability, natural lighting effect, and outstanding durability, is a heritage-customized material whose value is acknowledged in the field of cultural heritage preservation, thanks to the long history and technical excellence of Jeonju Hanji.

The National Heritage Administration has established a support system for the preservation of various traditional buildings nationwide in partnership with the National Credit Union Federation of Korea as a social contribution initiative. Efforts have been made to ensure a stable supply and active utilization of traditional Hanji, and the window paper proposed and supplied by the Jeonju Hanji Cooperative was produced to specifications reflecting on-site measurements and restoration standards, thereby increasing its practical use in heritage preservation.

The city expects this project to serve as a model for cultural heritage preservation, demonstrating exemplary cooperation among private sponsors (National Credit Union Federation of Korea), government agencies (National Heritage Administration), traditional manufacturing communities (Jeonju Hanji Cooperative), and specialized executing organizations.

Previously, since 2019, the city and the National Credit Union Federation of Korea have continuously worked together on numerous projects to promote both the cultural preservation and industrial revitalization of Jeonju traditional Hanji.

A city official stated, "Jeonju is a city that has inherited a thousand-year history and the technology of Hanji. This project has served as an opportunity to showcase the excellence of Jeonju Hanji at cultural heritage sites nationwide. We will continue to promote the public use and industrial expansion of traditional Hanji through ongoing cooperation with the National Heritage Administration, the National Credit Union Federation of Korea as a private sponsor, and the Jeonju Hanji Cooperative."