First lady introduces hanji as Korean and Czech national libraries sign MOU

First lady Kim Keon Hee, second from left, visits the St. George's Basilica in Prague Castle with Eva Pavlova, wife of Czech President Pavel, on Thursday to learn about Czech history and culture. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

PRAGUE — Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee viewed a demonstration of the restoration of old books at the National Library of the Czech Republic to Friday and promoted hanji, traditional Korean paper, the presidential office said.  
 
The event commemorated the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on exchanges of ancient documents and manuscript restoration technology between the National Library of Korea and the National Library of the Czech Republic on the occasion of President Yoon Suk Yeol's official visit to the Central European nation.  
 
The presidential office said that the event introduced the merits of hanji, or traditional Korean mulberry paper known for its millennial durability and delicate flexibility, to the Czech Republic.  
 

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Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, said in a press briefing Friday following France's Louvre Museum and Italy's Vatican Museums, hanji is being widely used in the Czech Republic to restore ancient documents.  
 
"We expect that this will contribute to the registration of hanji as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," Kim said.  
 

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center right, and first lady Kim Keon Hee, center left, and Czech President Petr Pavel, right, and first lady Eva Pavlova, left, pose for a commemorative photo at the Prague Castle Thursday ahead of an official dinner banquet. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The Korean government has promoted listing traditional knowledge and skills associated with the production of hanji and related cultural practices.  
 
Hanji, made from mulberry trees and requiring meticulous crafting skills, has been produced in Korea for a thousand years and passed down through generations.  
 
First lady Kim on Thursday joined Yoon in an official welcoming ceremony and later visited the St. George's Basilica in Prague Castle alongside with first lady Eva Pavlova, wife of Czech President Petr Pavel, to learn about Czech history and culture. Earlier, she joined Yoon and the Czech presidential couple for brief private talks and n the evening, she and Yoon took part in a dinner banquet hosted by Pavel.  
 
The presidential couple were also scheduled to attend a dinner meeting with Koreans living in the Czech Republic who have contributed to the two countries' bilateral ties.  
 

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]