From early times, pottery has served both a practical function as a source of everyday use as well as an artistic medium of expression. The development of pottery techniques played an important role in the general development of Korean craftwork. During the prehistoric period, comb-pattern pottery, plain pottery, red-glaze and black-glaze earthenware as well as Gimhae-style pottery were produced. Looking at the gradual development of these pottery forms, one can sense the aspirations of Korea's prehistoric inhabitants as they struggled to improve their living conditions.


During the Three Kingdoms period, each kingdom developed a unique style based on Gimhae pottery. Typical examples include Goguryeo pottery, which closely resemble the Gimhae style it was derived from, Baekje's gray tripod vessels and Silla's stemmed cups (gobae) and vessel stands. Most of the extant pieces of ancient pottery and metalwork have been burial objects found in ancient tombs. Among these relics, one finds exquisitely crafted Silla and Gaya pottery depicting ducks, houses, boats and figures on horses.

As craft traditions of the former Three Kingdoms developed during the Unified Silla period, pottery forms and patterns began to change. The long-necked dropper and box with lid appeared at this time. In particular, developments in kiln structure allowed craftsmen to accumulate experience using natural-looking, green glazes. This period of experimentation served as an important stepping stone in the development of Goryeo celadon.


During the Goryeo period, hard earthenware continued to be produced; yet the most representative pottery of the era is celadon. Korean celadon can be divided into two types: West Coast potters used the oxidation techniques of Northern China and Gangjin/Buan pottery relied on the reduced firing techniques of South China. Of these two types, the latter was more influential. Korean celadon uses a delicate green feldspathic glaze with around a 3 percent iron content. This lovely pottery soon became popular both in Korea as well as internationally as one of the most representative genres of Korean art. For example, Xu Jing, a 12th-century Song envoy to Korea, highly praised the superiority of Korean celadon in his detailed work Goryeo dogyeong (Illustrated Account of Goryeo).

Scholarly opinions vary, but the first production of Goryeo celadon must have begun by the late-ninth or early-tenth century at the latest. It reached its apex during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Around the twelfth century, potters turned their attention from the exquisite shapes and fine jade color of pure celadon to white and black porcelain featuring detailed inlay designs of cloud and crane motifs or chrysanthemums. The superiority of Goryeo celadon is widely recognized, but inlay pottery also deserves credit for its creativity and formal beauty. Notably, Korean potters experimented with red copper underglaze before their Chinese counterparts.

During the late-Goryeo period, oxidation firing techniques became popular. In this period, glazes also underwent change while the formal tension of bowls was softened. Collectively, these changes led to the development of Joseon buncheong ware.

During the Joseon period, buncheong ware and white porcelain were the chief pottery styles. Buncheong is classified according to production technique as: gamhwa (buncheong ware with inlaid floral decorations), inhwa (buncheong decorated with stamped floral designs), bakji (Graffito), johwa (bird and flower motif), cheolhwa (iron pigment) and baekto. Popular from the early Joseon period to the period directly preceding the Hideyoshi invasions, baekto buncheong used white slip designs which seemed to get smaller as the style developed. Comparable with the simple surface effect in minimalist art, these pieces agree well with modern artistic sensibilities. This pottery thus served as a transitional form between inlaid celadon and white porcelain (baekja) and in spite of its rather common look, it was highly prized even by the royal house.


White porcelain, on the other hand, was an article of everyday use by all strata of society throughout the Joseon period. During this period, specially-designated kilns under the strict supervision of the Saongwon (Bureau for Overseeing Ceramic Production) were able to ensure that the quality of white porcelain was maintained at a fixed level. During this time, red (iron) or blue pigments were also used to draw depictions of the "four noble subjects" (plums, orchids, chrysanthemums and bamboo), dragons and auspicious symbols on top of milky-white porcelain. Sometimes, these pictures were painted by government artists. By the late-Joseon period, the consumer class for pottery had expanded to include the lower strata of society. As a result, pottery declined as the nation entered the modern era.