Kim Dong-yeol
Researcher, Wanju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
Is Korea’s cultural heritage sector focusing sufficient resources and efforts on catering to the needs of those who read by touch and
those from other cultural backgrounds? Researcher Kim Dong-yeol has been seeking ways to help more people learn and access
information about Korean cultural heritage in the languages most familiar to them. His ultimate aim is to promote and share the
dynamic features of Korean cultural heritage around the globe.
Q. Please tell us about the book Tools of Daemok – Traditional Architectural Artisan.
Tools of Daemok – Traditional Architectural Artisan was
written to archive information about hanok (traditional
Korean house) construction tools that have been used
for generations by daemok. As more and more tools
are becoming obsolete due to automation, the related
techniques and methods are also being forgotten. I felt the
pressing need to start archiving as soon as possible and
initiated the research. This book is the final result.
Q. Tools of Daemok – Traditional Architectural Artisan was
published in diverse forms. It was transcribed into braille,
re-edited with illustrations, and translated into English.
What was the driving force behind this project?
First and foremost, I wanted to reach out to as many readers
as possible, in addition to researchers in the field. I wanted to
facilitate access by readers of all ages, nationalities, physical
conditions, and academic backgrounds and truly captivate
them. This was my focus throughout the entire content
making process from the planning stage. To this end, I had
each publication form undergo thorough editing by end
users themselves, including readers with visual impairment
and English-speaking readers
Q. Is there any interesting note you would like to share
about the content-making process?
Many automatically think of raised dots when they hear
about the braille system. However, the braille system has
evolved with the advancement of printing technologies and
digital media. I came to realize how narrow my perspective
had been after learning about how cutting-edge technologies
are applied to the dots to lessen the fatigue of fingertips and
allow them to last longer and how a broader range of media
materials is being converted into braille as requested by
vision- and hearing-impaired Millennials and Zoomers.
Q. Please leave a message for the readers.
The practice of manual hanok-building by artisan carpenters
will probably go extinct as more and more techniques are
being automated and replaced by machinery. I believe this is
just another inevitable evolution that we have to accept. I will
try harder to archive related data for future generations.
