# decent kitchen knife shop in Seoul?



## rochekeh (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi everyone- 

first time post having been reading for some time. 

I'm going to be visiting Seoul with work later in the year- I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge about decent kitchen knife retailers over there? 
From what I've read elsewhere on this forum, there doesn't seem to be as much of a tradition/prestige of knife _making_ in Korea as there is in Japan, but I thought as in relatively the right corner of the planet i may be able pick something up without been murdered on shipping fees. 

Googling for knife shops turns up this place- http://www.knifegallery.co.kr/ which doesn't seem to do kitchen knives at all. (I'm sure i'll end up paying them a visit though). 

I'm looking for a fish knife- filleting and also to carve cured raw fish. I have a Zwilling 7" santoku blade that I use for most slicing work, along with a cheapo workhouse chef knife, but neither of them are up to the job. The Zwilling can just about get to sharp enough to do it, but the blade being so wide makes it a real struggle to fillet. 

Anyway- there is plenty on the forums about _which_ knife to choose so i'll keep reading, but if anyone happens to have insider knowledge on somewhere in Seoul to purchase knifes, or any hidden korean knife maker knowledge, it'd be great to hear. (I much prefer going into an actual shop and holding things before i buy them, otherwise i'd just go online right away) 

Thanks!


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## ygong (Jul 30, 2013)

well im korean and as far as I know there isn't any professional blacksmiths 
that make knives like japan does
mainly because they were oppressed (this literally applies to almost every fields) 
or sent to japan (to work as their blacksmiths) during the colonization 
hence the tradition was lost. 
your best bet is http://www.knifegallery.co.kr/ its more focused on traditional korean/chinese/japanese swords
though


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## Seb (Jul 30, 2013)

I remember briefly watching a seafood cooking demo in Shinsegae's food court (swanky department store) where all the cooks had these small debas (150-165mm) and where using them to crack open crustaceans by smacking on them like hammers. 

There was also this little gallery/museum in Insadong that was pretty average - mostly replicas and fantasy pieces with the odd yanagiba or two on display. The street food sellers I saw were using mainly locally-made Chinese Cleavers and slicers of the mass-produced variety that you can find on eBay.


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