Korea

Gamtae is one of South Korea's rarest seaweeds. For centuries, this earthy, sweet seaweed was mainly harvested and eaten raw by locals in the Seosan region.

Once a practical way to transcribe, calligraphy has evolved into a fine art. As the practice we recognize today spread across East Asia, countries like China, Japan, and Korea developed their own methods of creating high-quality calligraphy tools.

Hanji is traditional Korean paper made by hand one sheet at a time. Artisans turn the weblike fibers of paper mulberry trees into paper that can last more than a thousand years. The most expensive hanji costs over $20 per sheet. But despite hanji's quality, demand is in decline.