You may notice quite a few homeless people around Seoul Station. A lot of visitors ask me, “Why are there so many homeless people here?” One of the biggest reasons goes back to 1997, during the Asian Financial Crisis. In Korea, we usually call it the IMF Crisis . A lot of companies went bankrupt, unemployment rose very quickly, and many people suddenly lost their jobs and income. Some people eventually lost their homes as well. And many of them came to Seoul Station . Why here? Because this was one of the main places to find day labor and temporary jobs , and it was also the main railway station if they wanted to go back to their hometowns. But some had no money left and nowhere else to go, so they stayed around the station. That is one reason Seoul Station became one of the main gathering places for homeless people after the 1997 crisis. Then another thing happened. Once many homeless people were here, churches, charities, NGOs, and the government started providing help here. Th...
What the moon jar is
The moon jar (달항아리) is a large white porcelain jar made in the late Joseon dynasty, It is 41 centimeters high and about 40 centimeters wide, so its height and width are almost equal, creating the shape of a full moon. It was produced during the late 17th or early 18th century of the Joseon Dynasty.
RM, the leader of BTS, famously loves and collects modern Moon Jars. Also, if you watched the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, you might remember that the giant Olympic flame cauldron was shaped exactly like this beautiful vessel!
But the Moon Jar’s global journey started long before K-pop or the Olympics.
In the early 20th century, the famous British potter Bernard Leach (1887–1979) visited Seoul. He was completely captivated by the Moon Jar, purchased one, and carefully carried it all the way back to Europe. He was the very first person to introduce this quiet Korean beauty to the Western art world. Today, the exact jar he took from Seoul sits proudly on display in the British Museum in London.
Back then, these were simply called Daeho (Large Round Jars). They weren't created to be untouchable art pieces displayed in glass cases. They were practical household items used in the royal courts and wealthy homes to store things like soy sauce, alcohol, or occasionally to hold large flowers during royal banquets.
The poetic name "Moon Jar" wasn't created until the 20th century. Modern Korean artists—most notably the famous painter Kim Whanki—fell in love with the jar's milky, unpretentious white color and its imperfectly round shape. They thought it looked exactly like a bright full moon floating in the night sky, and the beautiful nickname stuck forever.
Why is it not perfectly round?
Look carefully at the middle of the jar. You may notice a faint horizontal line.
A jar this large was too difficult to make from one lump of clay on a potter’s wheel. Therefore, the potter made the upper and lower halves separately, rather like two enormous bowls. He then joined them together in the middle.
When this massive, joined clay was put into a wood-fired kiln at extremely high temperatures (over 1,300°C or 2,370°F), the two halves shrank and warped differently in the intense heat.
During firing, the clay shrank and the heavy body moved slightly under gravity. As a result, the jar became gently distorted rather than mathematically symmetrical. The seam and the slightly uneven outline are therefore direct results of its difficult manufacturing process.
Why is such a plain jar considered a masterpiece?
Bernard Leach was deeply moved by the moon jar’s natural imperfection.
What impressed him most was its softly uneven round shape, the visible seam where the two halves were joined, and the quiet, humble feeling created by its plain white surface.
That is why many Koreans see the moon jar as a symbol of life. Human beings are also shaped by pressure, mistakes, and unexpected changes. We may not become perfectly symmetrical or flawless, but we can still create harmony.
The moon jar has no colorful painting and no elaborate decoration. Its quiet white surface invites us to slow down and look carefully.
Its message is simple:
We do not have to erase every imperfection. Sometimes, true beauty appears when different parts learn to live together in balance.
- Take a moment and just look at this jar. There's nothing telling you what to feel. You may find yourself painting a picture from deep within your own heart. So whatever comes to your mind right now, that's yours. Just enjoy this quiet moment, and notice what you yourself are filling that empty space with right now.
잠깐 이 항아리를 그냥 바라보세요. — 뭘 느껴야 한다고 정해진 게 없어요. 그러니까 지금 떠오르는 생각이 있다면, 그게 바로 여러분만의 것이에요. 이 조용한 순간을 그냥 즐기면서, 저 빈 공간을 지금 무엇으로 채우고 있는지 한번 느껴보세요