Korean handcrafted fountain pen sparks public interest

The fountain pen South Korean President Lee Jae-myung gave U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 25 to commemorate the South Korea-U.S. summit has been confirmed as a signing pen made by the domestic handcrafted pen maker Jenaile. Following the gift, the company has experienced a surge in orders for its fountain pens.

"As a small workshop, we can produce only about 10 pens a day, but due to an overwhelming number of orders in a short time, we have temporarily closed new orders,” Jenaile said on its website on Aug. 27. “We will reopen sales when possible.” Currently, all of the company’s products are sold out.

Jenaile is known for its pens, which are handcrafted by artisans who carve the wood themselves. The company previously made signing pens for President Trump in 2019 during his first visit to South Korea and also for the trilateral summit involving the United States, South Korea, and North Korea. The recent surge in orders appears to have been triggered by the revelation that the pen President Lee gifted to Trump was a specially commissioned product requested by the presidential office. "The pen given by President Lee was custom-made and is not for sale, nor are there plans to sell it,” the company said.

The public appears intrigued that the pen that caught President Trump’s attention was made by a domestic company. “I decided to buy it because I thought the design was beautiful,” said a citizen.


이소정 기자 sojee@donga.com