Larger contingent to promote Korean traditional dress at expo

″Happily Ever After,″ a Grand Prize winning hanbok (Korean traditional dress) designed by Lee Seon-jeong for 2023 Hanbok Design Project Competition [KCDF]

The sixth Hanbok Expo, an annual event organized by the government in an effort to promote hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, runs from Thursday to Sunday at Coex Convention Center’s Exhibition Hall D.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Crafts and Design Foundation (KCDF), this year’s event is two times larger than last year’s the organizers said. It will gather a total of 108 hanbok manufacturers or designers of various styles, from modern to traditional. Participating designers and stores include famous stores like tchaikim and Dolsilnai.

Hong Ki-hye, director of KCDF’s Hanbok Bureau, said the event hopes to “make hanbok a way of life for many Koreans while introducing the latest fashion trend of what we call ‘everyday hanbok’ - or hanbok that can be worn casually anywhere, anytime.”

Visitors to the event can not only purchase hanbok for a discounted price of up to 80 percent, try on different styles for some selfies or even participate in making traditional accessories for hanbok but also enjoy an exhibition curated by fashion designer Suh Young-hee, who is participating as a creative director.

Under the theme, “The Wings of Dance,” Suh attempts to show traditional Korean dance costumes.

“I selected this theme because I began to wonder where this excitement people across the globe have towards hanbok comes from? I think it starts from our traditional dances,” she said. “Visitors will be able to look at different charms of hanbok through traditional dance costumes of the past such as court dances, talchum or mask dances, a sword dance and so on.”

The entrance ticket can be purchased at the door for 5,000 won ($3.80), with those donning hanbok entering free of charge. The event opens at 11 a.m. on Thursday and at 10 a.m. Friday to Sunday. The expo closes at 7 p.m. except on Sunday when it closes at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit kcdf.or.kr/hanbokexpo.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]