The Korean fan has been widely known to the world from olden times for its beauty and delicacy.

Old relics and records indicate that fan was widely disseminated in the periods of Koguryo and Koryo.

According to the historical book "Samguksagi" (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms), Kyonhwon, King of the later Paekje presented a peacock-shaped fan to Wanggon, the founder of Koryo.

Fans are drawn on the mural of a Koguryo tomb in Anak County, South Hwanghae Province, built in the 4th century.

Fans were varied. Folding fans and fans with handles were popular in the days of Koryo.

It was told that the founder of Ming Kingdom, China was fond of the Korean fan so much, especially folding fan, that he ordered to make it in his country and named it "Koryo Fan."

In the years of Ri Dynasty, the fan shapes became diverse. Among them were fans with animal and plant ornaments hanging from pivots and round, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, lotus leaf shaped, lotus flower shaped, axe-shaped and feather-shaped fans.

Grass-fans were made with shreds of sedge or cattail. Pieces of paper or flimsy silk cloth were attached to fan faces and various patterns or beautiful pictures were drawn on them.

As the ceremonial fans, ancestors used luxurious pearl fan with silk-cloth-covered gilded bronze ribs and decorated with beads, and round fan of 60-70 centimeters in diameter with nearly one-meter-long handle.

Today the Korean people are making more beautiful and convenient fans to suit the socialist way of life by carrying forward the fan making technique of the ancestors.