Hanbok Culture Week kicks off with runway shows, hands-on events worldwide

Hanbok Culture Week kicked off Monday with fashion shows, try-on events and discounts at 410 venues in Korea and abroad, as the government seeks to bring the traditional attire into everyday life and draw interest from audiences overseas.

The weeklong event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, runs through Sunday.

 In Seoul, Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul, will serve as the backdrop for a traditional hanbok exhibition and campaign promoting proper ways to wear the attire. Those wearing hanbok can enjoy discounts at major attractions, including half-price admission to Lotte World in southern Seoul and 35 percent off at N Seoul Tower.

Regional hanbok design centers will offer hands-on activities. Visitors to the Jeonju center in North Jeolla can make their own hanbok accessories, while those in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region can take part in natural dyeing workshops.

The celebrations’ highlight will take place on Wednesday — as Oct. 21 has been designated as annual “Hanbok Day.”

A fashion show blending modern sensuality with traditional colors and hanbok designs will take place at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul. Five hanbok brands will showcase their designs. Singer-songwriter Kim Yuna, the lead vocalist of rock band Jaurim, will perform and open the runway show that day.

Korean diplomatic missions and cultural centers abroad have joined the initiative since last month.

The Ottawa-based center in Canada has held hanbok-themed paper-folding sessions and wearing events since Sept. 10 and will run the programs through Oct. 30. The cultural center in Japan’s Osaka and the Korean embassy in Denmark will run hanbok-wearing events until Saturday and Friday, respectively.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]