The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 1 April 2014

Connections: Australia and Asia
I agreed, and, with little to say, incidentally
reported that we in Australia were about to elect a
prime minister who was just that - a climate change
sceptic.
Daesin is a small town one and a half hours drive
south-west of Seoul, population 5000 Nearby are
three of Korea's major ceramic centres: Yeojhu, Inchon and Gwang Ju. During the 2013 floods, ten
villagers were drowned. In Inchon two ceramic artists lost their lives in the floodwaters. After the water
receded, the painstaking job of putting back together people's emotional and material lives was assisted
by strong community and logistical help from the army.
On 25 June, the very next day, a small army of potters, farmers, friends and a platoon of servicemen
from a nearby military base, descended on the battered studio and started work. An excavator reshaped
the landslide site, benching it. When they left, a few bolts jutting from a cement slab footing was all
that remained of one half of the studio - a salient reminder of the velocity of the avalanche. In that
particular part of the studio, Se Wan had stored some 2000 pieces of work destined for the Yeojhu
Ceramic Expo trade show.
For local potters this month-long event is a vital capital-raising opportunity. There are over 100 stores.
Tens of thousands of visitors from all over Korea make the annual pilgrimage, and many purchase their
day-to-day tableware from potters like Kim Se Wan, deliberately eschewing cheaper Chinese imports.
There's a sense of 'Korean-ness' in this act, which aligns with a certain cultural psyche described as
'Han', a concept nobody, academics included, seems to be able to succinctly summarise. But lurking in
the ingredients is a sense of exasperation with history, politics and natural catastrophe.