A najeon is a type of shell that is thinly ground and attached to objects in various patterns. In Korea, the native word "jagae" is used. Najeon lacquerware refers to a craft made by attaching a najeon pattern to an object and lacquering the top, and Najeonjang refers to a person with such skills or functions.

It is assumed that the technique of najeon lacquerware was introduced in the Tang Dynasty of China. In Korea, a large amount of lacquerware was excavated from ancient tombs dating back to the Silla Period, and the lacquerware from the Baekje and Samhan periods were also excavated, suggesting that it was widely used as a common household container in the Three Kingdoms Period.

According to the production process, a wooden frame for crafts such as a dressing table and a statue of a teacher is made of white bones. Rub the surface of the white bone evenly with sandpaper, then apply the chill porridge to fill the gap in the white bone and attach the shell to the white bone. It is then completed through the process of polishing, lacquer and polishing. The method of making patterns is to make a geometric pattern by attaching a small-cut top like a thread to a white bone, and to make a chrysanthemum, turtle, etc. shape by grinding the shell with a saw and a geometric pattern. During the Goryeo Dynasty and the early Joseon Dynasty, most of the plants were peonies, chrysanthemums, and lotus flowers, while most of the designs were made in the mid-Joseon period, including hwajo, Ssanghak, grape, plum, and sagunja. Recently, interest in traditional crafts has been rising, and they have been gradually resuscitating them with daily crafts.

On August 10, 2004, Chung Myung-chae was recognized as the holder.

bbb※※ For detailed information on the above cultural assets, please refer to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Department of Historical and Cultural Heritage (202-2133-2616). </bb

Since prehistoric times, lacquer has been widely used in Korea, China, and Japan as natural paint. The lacquer is characterized by its long-lasting use and harmless to the human body by compensating for cracks and burst defects when applied to wood tools and preventing water ingress.

Najeon lacquerware is a craft made from conch, abalone, shellfish, etc. on a lacquer surface, and is a representative artifact of Korean people with a well-coordinated lacquer, which boasts a colorful natural color and a subtle gloss.

Park Gwi-rae was awarded the Silver Prize in the field of Najeon Chilgi at the National Skills Competition in 1998 and won the gold prize at the 26th Korea Victory Crafts Competition in 2001 after receiving a master's degree from Lee Hyung-man (Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 10 Najeonjang) in 1977.

Najeonjang, or mother-of-pearl inlaying, is a Korean traditional method of decorating the surface of diverse household objects by lacquering and inlaying them with strips of mother-of-pearl. This traditional handicraft is known to have originated from Tang China, but discoveries made at many archaeological sites related with ancient Korean kingdoms prove that Korea has a long tradition of the craft and that ancient Korean people exploited it profusely to produce all kinds of everyday household objects.

To produce a lacquer work inlaid with a mother-of-pearl design, the artisan needs to make a “white frame” with wood first of all. He then lacquers its surface and decorates it by inlaying carefully prepared strips of mother-of-pearl, some of which are as thin as threads, on a prearranged pattern by using the techniques of kkeuneumjil and jureumjil. Each of the individual work processes is completed with a stage of grinding, lacquering, and polishing the surface.

In the Goryeo and early Joseon Periods, the most favored designs included peony blossoms, chrysanthemums, and lotus flowers. Designs became more diverse during the mid-Joseon Period as artisans began to extend their interest to flowers with birds, white cranes, grapes, apricot flowers, and the Four Gracious Plants.

The traditional technique of inlaying mother-of-pearl is a time-consuming process that is currently preserved by, among others, two government-designated artisans, Song Bang-ung and Yi Hyeong-man.