Pansanggi is a set of dishes that our people have used in their diet from ancient times and it includes a rice bowl, a soup bowl, plates, small bowls, cruets, a kettle and cups, spoon and chopsticks, etc.

   Those dishes belonging to pansanggi were made of ceramic, brass or wood, but there were luxuries made of silver.

   It was a pride and custom in our country to set the tables with pansanggi on holidays or when entertaining a noble guest who came home as it was more formal and nice.

   Traditional pansanggi which reflects the Korean nation’s customs and sentiments vanished due to the evil Japanese imperialist colonial rule in the past. Furthermore, because of the indifference of some officials, the dishes were only produced in a few pottery factories, in a handicraft method, and it was confined to few kinds without having a full set.

   Being well aware of this matter, Chairman Kim Jong Il looked at the new dishes one day in October Juche 72 (1983) and said that there was pansanggi in the old days and that he could not see it now. He said that people would be very pleased if they could set the table in a traditional style with a dish kit such as large and small bowls, plates and other ceramic dishes that are sold.

   Two months later, one day in mid-December, the Chairman was reported that samples of pansanggi had been made and came to the exhibition hall to look the dishes in details, said with pleasure that this was the pansanggi, the traditional ceramic dish set of our people. And he explained about pansanggi, saying that there would be some officials here who heard the word pansanggi for the first time.

   The Chairman said that pansanggi was the set of dishes needed to set up a table and various dishes formed one set in accordance with the lifestyle and emotions peculiar to our people although the number of dishes differs according to the class.

   In the past, our ancestors divided it into a few classes on the basis of the number of dishes, as three chop for three dishes and five chop for five dishes, and it was divided into four classes in odd numbers up to 9 chop for 9 dishes. Apart from that, there was a special class, 12 chop pansanggi which was to be used only by the king.

   The Chairman highly praised that pansanggi was well-made, various in kinds and beautiful in shape and he said with a smile that a boast of dish was one of the Korean women’s favorite three prides and if they were sold in large quantities, a pride will be added to each house.

   The Chairman paid deep attention to provide people with good quality pansanggi and gave valuable instructions to improve its quality on several times afterwards.

   Pansanggi, which name had faded away in the memory of the people in the past, was again widely used in the dietary life thanks to the love of the Chairman who valued the customs peculiar to the nation.