A pictorial video of actor and singer Suzy's Hanbok outfits will be displayed from Dec. 24-25 at Times Square in New York. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
By Park Hye Ri
Photos of actor-singer Suzy clad in Hanbok (traditional costumes) will appear this weekend on the giant billboard of Times Square in New York.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Dec. 15 said a video of her wearing the traditional outfit will be shown there on Christmas Eve from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next day.
The outfits in her pictorial were designed and created under a project of developing and designing Hanbok in connection with Hallyu (Korean Wave) content that the ministry and Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF) jointly conducted this year. Since 2020, the ministry has pursued the project to promote Hanbok at home and abroad and expand Hallyu's reach.
The six small and medium domestic companies to make the featured Hanbok including Songhwa by Jeong, OUWR and Tchai Kim were chosen through a contest. They created designs for the celebrity by combining modern flows and sensibilities while preserving Hanbok's traditional composition and elements.
These designs will be shown from Dec. 26 on the website of the project "Hanbok Wave" (www.hanbokwave.com). They will also be displayed at Hanbok exhibitions and fashion shows such as the Newtro Festival slated for February and Hanbok Culture Week in October next year.
A pictorial video of Suzy's Hanbok outfits will be featured on Dec. 20 on the January edition of a well-known fashion magazine. From Dec. 26, the video can be viewed on the KCDF's official YouTube channel.
"By introducing Hanbok's unique beauty with the added appeal of a Hallyu celebrity, we hope to spread the word about the traditional costume and reaffirm its beauty both in and out of the country," said Jung Hyang-mi, director-general of the ministry's Regional Culture Policy Bureau. "To develop the Hanbok industry and spread Hanbok culture, we will do everything at the policy level like supporting small and medium businesses to develop a variety of products."
hrhr@korea.kr
