She wanted to make a tabletop soban to be enjoyed in our modern age.
Woodworking artist Kim Hyun Kyung was always drawn to the arts and loves nature (her parents are farmers in rural Chungcheong Province). Kim initially learned woodworking from a friend who studied the art form in the United States at RISD. She spent three years working with this friend and worked together to make furniture. After that time, started her work making sobans. She wanted to preserve the tradition of soban, but as Koreans eat at western tables, she wanted to make a tabletop soban to be enjoyed in our modern age. When she first started her practice, it was with hyper modern soban design, but now she works with a hybrid of both modern and traditional design.