Pappersdrake, drake, kite

This rectangular kite (Korean: yeon) consists of traditional paper (Korean: hanji) attached on a frame made of four bamboo strips. The paper is white with a light blue roundel at the top, and has a circular cut-out, or “wind hole”, at the centre to prevent the paper from being torn by strong wind. The roundel was cut out from blue-coloured traditional paper and pasted onto the surface of the white paper. Two triangular pieces of white paper attached to the lower two corners of the kite constitute the tail (Korean: galgae bal). The strings and reel for flying the kite are missing.

It is generally assumed that kites have existed in Korea since the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE – 668 CE). In the past, kites were flown as a pastime but were also employed for military purposes. In the late Joseon period, it was customary to fly kites during the first month of the year (Korean: Jeongwol; following the lunar calendar). On the last day of this month, people would write phrases for expelling evil, such as “sending away evil, welcoming luck” (Korean: songaek yeongbok) onto the kite and cut the string to release the kite, and symbolically all misfortune, into the sky. Kite fighting was also a popular sport. Contestants would reinforce the kite’s string with a coating of powdered porcelain or glass mixed with glue and attempt to cross and sever the opponents’ kite-strings by skillfully manoeuvring one’s kite through the air.