Lacquerwares inlaid with mother-of-pearls are one of the delicate and excellent folk craftworks created and developed by the Korean people for a long period of time.

   Lacquerwares inlaid with mother-of-pearls of Korea have been widely known as a treasure in the world for its unfading property for hundreds of years and outstanding features of lacquer, rare seashell materials like abalone, turbo and pearl, delicate inlaying method and polished black lacquer.

   In December Juche 86 (1997), Chairman Kim Jong Il saw a large lacquered vase inlaid with mother-of-pearl newly made at the Mansudae Art Studio.

   After looking carefully at the vase, the Chairman highly appreciated that the vase was well-made but he pointed that it had a problem in colour.

   In fact, the artists used red as a ground colour of the vase in the thought that it would be new and uncommon as there had been no red vase so far.

   The Chairman said that it was the Korean style to make it glow by inlaying white mother-of-pearl on the black ground, mentioning that if the ground was red, exotic taste  could not be avoided from the vase.

   In February Juche 87 (1998), the Chairman looked at a large lacquered vase inlaid with mother-of-pearl made again by the artists and said that it was made very well in a short time, adding that it looked better and more dignified as it was inlaid with white mother-of-pearl on the black ground, and that was the Korean-style.

   Like this, under the meticulous guidance of the Chairman, lacquerwares inlaid with mother-of-pearls of our country have developed into the Korean-style craftworks based on the unique national traditions of our people.