Butterflies and turtles float in blue jars: Life in pre-liberation North Korea on display

The National Folk Museum of Korea is presenting a special exhibition, 'Zero: Encounters with North Korea on the Path of Folklore,' which offers a rare glimpse into the daily lives and folk culture of the northern Korean peninsula during the Japanese colonial era. The exhibition, opening on August 12 in Seoul, brings together 316 artifacts, previously part of the museum's extensive collection, that represent the region's cultural heritage before liberation.

The exhibition's design is inspired by the museum's open-access storage facility in Paju, featuring tower-like transparent display cases that allow visitors to view the artifacts from all sides. As visitors walk through these displays, they encounter various crafts, clothing, food, and housing items from different regions of North Korea. A particular highlight is a dedicated display of Haeju pottery, characterized by its vibrant blue pigments and whimsical, folk-art style depictions of nature and daily life.

This collection of Haeju pottery includes 88 pieces donated by Kim Ui-gwang, director of the Mokin Museum. The exhibition also features materials recreating records of Geumgangsan Mountain, a significant natural and cultural symbol shared by both Koreas. Museum officials noted that this is the first time such a large portion of their North Korean folk material collection, numbering around 3,000 items, is being publicly displayed.

The exhibition aims to shed light on the diverse cultural landscape of North Korea, making previously inaccessible historical materials available to the public. It will run until February 14 of the following year, providing a unique opportunity to connect with the region's past.

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We hold about 3,000 folk materials currently classified as 'North Korea,' and this is a special exhibition that is systematically revealing them to the public beyond research and preservation.