Ppuri gipeun namu vol.1, March 1976, Songpa Book Museum Collection
Ppuri gipeun namu (Deeply rooted trees) was a cultural and educational magazine published by the publisher and editor Han Chang-gi. A total of fifty-three volumes were published from the first volume issued in March 1976 to the last one issued in August 1980. This magazine departed from the conventional magazine practice of a printing house that was also in charge of designing. Instead, it introduced the art directing system of U.S. magazines to South Korea for the first time and established its distinctive system that encompassed design, typography, photography, advertisements, and pictorials in primary colors. By focusing on traditional lifestyles and folk daily lives that were gradually disappearing due to rapid economic development and urbanization yet capturing them with modern photography and sophisticated designs, Ppuri gipeun namu successfully led the transition from a “reading magazine” to a “viewing magazine.” It featured a unified layout using only Hangeul (Korean alphabet) and utilized primary-color documentary photographs by Kang Woongu, Joo Myungduck, and Edward Kim. The magazine was acclaimed for its high-end formatting and binding and reached a then-record circulation of 65,000 subscribers. From its editorial direction to its graphic design, photography, and production system,
Ppuri gipeun namu is viewed to have played a significant role in the history of Korean design and visual culture.
* Source: Multilingual Glossary of Korean Art. Korea Arts Management Service
