Korea’s first ladies and their signature styles
Jacqueline Kennedy, Carla Bruni and Michelle Obama - these ladies are more than just the wives of the most powerful men in their countries - they are known for signature styles that have been followed by the women of their generation.What about the Korean first ladies? On the surface, it could be said that these women have tried to emulate the “ideal woman.” But with a closer look, we can see that each first lady had her very own style, which has signified the fashions of the times as well as the political ideologies of their partners.
Francesca Donner / Yuk Young-soo / Lee Soon-ja / Kim Ok-sook
Francesca Donner
The wife of Syngman Rhee and the very first lady, Austrian Francesca Donner, showed her love for her husband’s culture by wearing hanbok, or traditional Korean dress. She was even buried in one of her favorite hanbok which had the character su, meaning life, embroidered on it. Many of the hanbok that she wore were modernized versions of the traditional dress. The trend in the 1950s involved replacing the jacket ribbon with an accessory like a broach and wearing the hanbok in one piece instead of the traditional two.
Yuk Young-soo
Many Korean women seem to wear an upswept hairdo for special events. The style started with Yuk Young-soo, the wife of Park Chung Hee. Known as the woman who wrote the book on fashion for Korean first ladies, she became an iconic figure for many wealthy housewives of the times. She enjoyed wearing elegant and simple hanbok and even when wearing Western-style dress, she selected feminine chiffon blouses and flare skirts which emphasized her image as a caring mother.
Lee Soon-ja
Among the first ladies, Lee Soon-ja, wife of Chun Doo Hwan, showed the most interest in fashion. Accentuating her outgoing personality, her style was considered cutting edge. She embroidered her hanbok with silver or gold threads and made the skirt a lot more full than what the fashion of the time would usually allow. Her extravagant approach was shown even at formal meetings. On one visit to a foreign country, she stunned the crowd with a unisex look. Even her makeup was the picture of glamour and her short permed hairstyle maximized her look, the total effect of which had a forwardness that was a never before seen from a first lady.
Kim Ok-sook
Roh Tae-woo’s other half wore a hanbok like no other first lady before her. Her tall stature and classic facial features lent the garment a grace that other women weren’t able to match. She dressed in simple colors of white, jade and ivory to match her husband’s image of the “ordinary citizen.” Her nickname as the second Yuk Young-soo was shown in her sophisticated and neat look.
Sohn Myung-soon / Lee Hee-ho / Kwon Yang-sook
Sohn Myung-soon
This petite first lady, who was the wife of Kim Young-sam, enjoyed wearing hanbok, which nicely embraced her small stature. She enjoyed wearing bright colors until the Asian economic crisis hit and then she switched to simple Western-style clothing to avoid public criticism of extravagance. Even then, she wore suits with designs similar to a hanbok - with short jackets and long flared skirts.
Lee Hee-ho
As former president Kim Dae-jung’s firm political supporter, Lee Hee-ho’s fashion emphasized her personality. Rather than looking feminine and elegant like previous first ladies, she dressed in a more practical and chic style. She enjoyed wearing Western-style clothing and even at events where she wore hanbok, she chose a modernized and comfortable interpretation of it.
To complement her tall and lean stature, she frequently wore long skirts and jackets with a high neck line. Most notably, she wore off-the-rack clothing rather than designer labels, which further signified her thrifty and simple nature.
Kwon Yang-sook
Kwon Yang-sook, the wife of Roh Moo-hyun, showed her flamboyance through her use of bold colors. She deviated from the conservative styles of most former first ladies and dressed in bright cheerful colors, such as red, blue, purple, pink and other primary schemes.
*Choi Ja-young is a fashion editor at Cosmopolitan Korea.
By Choi Ja-young [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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