Baek hailed from the Korean city of Gimhae and was the first female pottery expert in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). She was captured along with her husband, Gimhae potter Kim Tae-do, by Japanese soldiers during the 1592-98 Japanese invasions of Korea. They were taken to the town of Takeo near Arita, in what is now Japan’s Saga Prefecture, in the late 16th century. According to historical records, Baek moved to Arita with about 900 Korean potters after her husband died, making a tremendous contribution to the development of Arita ware. She remained in Arita as the leader of pottery making until her death at age 96, establishing herself as the mother of Arita ware. Yoon Tae-woon, 71, leader of the Baek Pasun Memorial Society, said the society has worked closely with a group of ceramic artists in the Japanese city for the past year to carry out a project that sheds light on Baek’s achievements and the Korea-Japan relations she created. “We hope our project will help many people understand that the development of Japan’s ceramics was made through its invasion of the Korean Peninsula and provide them with an opportunity to learn more about Korean ceramics,” he said.