Korean traditional culture | Andong Hemp spinning

"Andongpo' refers to hemp fabric produced in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. It boasts a finer and softer texture than hemp fabric produced in other regions. Andong is renowned for producing high-quality work since the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) when the fabric was used to make the costumes for "hwarang," or flowering knights, an elite group of male youth. During the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), the fabric was used to make summer wear for commoners.

In Korea, hemp was one of four popular traditional textile fibers, along with cotton, ramie and silk. But the tradition of making hemp fabric started to disappear in the 1950s. Only the elderly in a few rural regions continue to practice the tradition.

Geumsori in Andong has sandy soil, which facilitates drainage and thus, is good for cultivating hemp.