Discover Korea: Traditional Goods
Shop at the K-Heritage Store if you are interested in products that contain the beauty of the East and the beauty of Korea.
The K-Heritage Store is a traditional cultural theme shop operated by the KHA(Korea Heritage Agency) under the KHS(Korea Heritage Service) of the Government of the Republic of Korea. To preserve Korea’s half-million-year-old heritage, K-Heritage, a traditional cultural product brand, was launched, and the K-Heritage Store, an online shopping mall, was established.
You can see a variety of products reinterpreted with traditional Korean designs that modern people use in their daily lives. In addition to design items by holders of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Korea, planning items from the KHA, award-winning products from design competitions, and palace-themed products, new items are also updated regularly.
Mother-of-pearl pattern pencil set
A pencil set designed with embroidery-inspired mother-of-pearl patterns, reflecting the ornate decorations of royal furniture
hwajodo soap (pomegranate)
A soap featuring Hwajodo, a traditional Korean painting themed around flowers and birds, infused with natural essential oils
‘folk painting for all’ soju glass set
Color-changing soju glass set featuring the Joseon Dynasty painter Kim Hong-do’s painting, ‘Folk Painting for All’
Image Source : K-Heritage Store Online shop
Year of the Blue Snake
In Korea, the year 2025 is called the ‘Year of the Blue Snake’.
To celebrate this year, K-Heritage Store has unveiled products themed around the Year of the Blue Snake.
East Asia follows the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to represent years and dates. This system includes the Five Elements theory(wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and the 12 animals of the zodiac. Each year is represented by a combination of one of the five elements and one of the twelve animals.
The year 2025 is a year where wood, which represents the color blue, and the snake are connected.
That’s why 2025 is ‘the Year of the Blue Snake’.
The blue snake represents wisdom, intuition and insight, Transformation and innovation, patience and resilience. Embodying these symbolic meanings, products such as masking tape, eyeglass cleaning cloths, magnetic bookmarks, and pouches featuring blue snake illustrations have been release.
Image Source : K-Heritage Store Online shop
Captivating Millennials and Gen Z
According to the KHA(Korea Heritage Agency), sales of traditional cultural products exceeded 11.8 billion KRW last year.
This impressive revenue was largely driven by the positive response from Millennials and Gen Z.
But what made these younger generations, who might seem distant from traditional culture, take an interest?
The answer lies in the modern reinterpretation of traditional aesthetics and values.
Various design goods infused with heritage elements have emerged as fresh and distinct items, attracting their attention. A range of unique cultural products are also gaining great popularity as gifts.
One notable example is the collaboration between gaming and traditional craftmanship.
Image Source : K-Heritage Blog
At first glance, these two fields may seem unrelated.
But their fusion has led to the creation of unique and innovative products.
Image Source : K-Heritage Blog
Skilled artisans, recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage holders, have crafted traditional artworks inspired by popular game IPs(Game assets and intellectual properties, including its universe, storyline, characters, visuals, and music, etc).
Handcrafted artworks inspired by NEXON’s popular games—MapleStory, Kingdom of the Winds, and Maninogi—have gained significant attention.
Additionally, and exhibition of related products was held at Deoksugung, a historical site, offering even more enriching experiences.
<Shaping Time: In search of another world> Exhibition Poster,
Image Source : K-Heritage Blog
Offline Sales Locations
If you’re planning a trip to Korea, you can also explore and enjoy K-Heritage Goods at offline shops.
In addition to stores located within the airport, you can also find artisan works at royal palaces throughout Seoul.
Here are the lists.
📍 Korean Traditional Culture Center, Incheon Airport
📍 Sarang Cafe, Gyeongbokgung
📍 Sarang Cafe, Deoksugung
📍 Sarang Cafe, Changdeokgung
📍 Sarang Cafe, National Palace Museum of Korea
📍 Sarang Cafe, Korea House Cafe & Art Shop
Korean Traditional Culture Center in Incheon Airport,
Image Source : KHA Website
Learn More About K-Heritage
Are you interested in learning more about K-Culture and K-Heritage?
Then it is recommended to check out the YouTube channel, K-Heritage Channel(@koreanheritage).
It provides high-quality content on Korean heritage, and you can explore its rich history and cultural significance.
This channel is suitable not only for those learning Korean but also for individuals who became interested in Korea through K-pop and K-dramas and wish to delve deeper into various aspects of K-culture.
Feel free to check out this channel. Since it provides English subtitles, there is no issue for foreigners to watch it.
from the <2022 Visit Korean Heritage Campaign> Video,
Image Source : K-Heritage Channel