Hangaone, the first museum dedicated to traditional Korean confectionaries or "Hangwa" opened in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province in April last year. Director Kim Kyu-heun, one of only two Hangwa masters in Korea, invested three years of preparation and W3 billion from his own pocket into the museum (US$1=W1,395).
"To hand down the Korean confectionary tradition and promote it around the world, we need to focus on the next generation. Children should be more exposed to traditional confectionaries so they become familiar with the flavors, so we need a space where they can learn about and experience them. That's why I opened this museum," Kim said.
The museum is only part of Kim's efforts to globalize traditional Korean confectionary. He has been traveling around 40 countries to study sweets there, and in October last year gave a lecture on Korean sweets in Paris, at the invitation of the Korean Culture Center in France. Attendants from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school had high praise for them, saying they are so healthy they're practically medicine. "Many people praised the colors, and they were surprised to hear that the ingredients are cereals, and all the pretty colors are made from plants," Kim said. "Some even asked me whether I could teach a class."
In preparing for the globalization of Korean sweets, Kim admits he didn't give much thought to Europe. "But having seen the response from Europeans, I'm confident now," he says. Patience is the key. "It can't be achieved in a single step. But if you throw a stone into the river, the waves gradually become larger. These small efforts will eventually produce a big result," he adds. And although he is already at the top in his field, he spares no effort to improve himself, such is his dedication to the craft.
