DiscoverCraft makers and the evidence for their practice
Materials
bamboo
Classification
basketry

오영희

All makers

Oh Young-hee

Oh Young-hee (오영희), a Jeju gudok (bamboo basket) maker living in Hogeun-dong, Seogwipo, was notified by Jeju Province on 24 July 2024 as holder of the Jeju intangible heritage craft of gudok-jang. Newsis reports that the first gudok was made in 1955 at age 14 after leaving school for lack of money, learning by watching older brothers; Media Jeju reports that orders stopped in the 1960s and the maker worked as a stone mason until demand returned from around 2018. The main field is baby gudok, and a disciples' group, 구덕스, organises exhibitions and demonstrations. [3, 4, 5, 6]

Profile

Background

Oh's father died shortly after she entered middle school; unable to keep paying tuition or eat reliably, she left school and watched the many gudok makers then working locally. She made her first chal-gudok by observation, and her mother encouraged her to continue. The National Jeju Museum records her material knowledge down to harvesting thin local bamboo in winter, preferring roughly three-year growth, air-drying it for a month, splitting it into different structural elements and using one-year bamboo for the final rim wrap.

In 2024 she was recognized as a Jeju intangible-heritage holder for gudok. An August 2026 exhibition paired her work with seven trainees and emphasized the functional diversity of the tradition.

Practice

Jeju gudok (bamboo baskets) made from thin local bamboo cut November-December, preferably three years old, dried for a month and split into parts; the topmost 속바윗대 wrap must be one-year bamboo. [1, 2]

Work over time

  1. First gudok made Made the first gudok at age 14, learning by watching older brothers, after leaving school for lack of money. [4]

References

  1. 제주 죽세공예(구덕) — 국립제주박물관
  2. 손결로 이어진 삶, 구덕 — 전통문화포털
  3. 제주 '구덕', '정동벌립' 기술 보유자 무형유산 고시 (Yonhap, 2024-07-24) Retrieved 2026-10-02
  4. 제주 삶 담은 바구니 '구덕' 아시나요…장인·전수자 시연회 (Newsis, 2025-07-27) Retrieved 2026-10-02
  5. 일회용의 시대에도, 풀 발라 다시 쓰는 삶 - 오영희 구덕장 (Media Jeju, 2025-12-01) Retrieved 2026-10-02
  6. 오영희 구덕장 따라… 제주 전통 죽공예 '구덕' 직접 만들어봐요 (Seoul Shinmun, 2025-11-14) Retrieved 2026-10-02