As a stylish hanbok for everyday wear

As K-content captivates the hearts of people around the world, interest in hanbok is also increasing more than ever. In particular, as BTS (BTS) and Black Pink actively use Hanbok as costumes for international performances, it is even said to be a "Hanbok craze" among young people.

The music video, in which BTS appeared in hanbok, was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world, and the Internet bulletin board continues to say, "How can I buy hanbok worn by BTS?" Due to the perception that it is inconvenient and impractical, Hanbok, which was avoided by the majority of Koreans, is being newly spotlighted in foreign countries.

Gyeongsangbuk-do is considered the home of hanbok. Eight out of 12 hanbok masters in Korea are active in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and traditional textile industry belts such as Sangju's Myeongju, Yeongju's Inkyeon, and Andong's hemp have been established for a long time. Gyeongsangbuk-do is pursuing related policies with the aim of becoming the "capital of hanbok" using the recent "Hanbok craze" around the world. Its strategy is to maximize economic effects by combining administrative capabilities into Hanbok's "daily life" and "globalization."

○ North Gyeongsang Province Leads the Korean Hanbok Boom

Following the executive meeting on the 3rd of this month, which was Dano, more than 50 heads of investment and investment institutions, including the director, attended the expanded executive meeting on the 7th, all wearing hanbok. The move is aimed at actively creating a "boom of hanbok" from provincial government officials.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Chul-woo, who won re-election in the local elections, stressed at an executive meeting that "Gyeongbuk should lead the globalization of K contents." Governor Lee, who campaigned in hanbok during the election, emphasized, "Hanbok, Hangeul, and hanok are our own traditional culture and cultural products that should be widely known to the world with Gyeongbuk content."

Hanbok worn by officials in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province at the executive meeting was first introduced through the recent Hanbok Workwear Design Contest. It was evaluated as practical and sophisticated with the identity of North Gyeongsang Province, and some said, "It is good to use it as a daily wear with a modern sense."

Lee Seung-taek, head of the Gyeongbuk Culture Industry Division, said, "We plan to promote Hanbok by wearing it during important schedules such as the fifteenth of lunar January, Dano, Hangeul Day, Hanbok Day (October 21), and expanded executive meetings."

In April last year, North Gyeongsang Province invested 19.16 billion won in Myeongju Theme Park in Hamchang-eup, Sangju, opening the Korea Hanbok Promotion Agency with a total floor area of 8,198 square meters, one basement floor and two ground floors. The Hanbok Promotion Agency, which has an exhibition public relations center, a convergence industry center, and a training school, plans to carry out various projects such as △ research on hanbok materials and clothes △ finding ways to industrialize △ training hanbok craftsmen.

Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the Hanbok Promotion Agency is located, has been called the hometown of Sambaek since ancient times because it is famous for rice, dried persimmons, and cocoons. Sangju Myeongju, the main material of Hanbok, gained such a high reputation that it was recorded in the Jaemulbo in the late Joseon Dynasty, and in particular, the silk produced in Hamchang is considered to be of excellent quality because it is dense and soft. In 2019, Jamsil (the silkworming room) of Sangju's "Hersevidan Textile" was selected as Gyeongbuk Industrial Heritage, and the mulberry tree in Dugok-ri, Sangju, was designated as a natural monument (No. 599) in 2020. Kang Young-seok, Mayor of Sangju, said, "We will make sure that the Korea Hanbok Promotion Agency can become a hub for the future hanbok industry in the future."

○ "Promoting popularization and globalization of Hanbok"

Gyeongsangbuk-do was selected one after another by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for Hanbok in the first half of this year. The province will first invest 1 billion won in state funds for three years from this year in the "Project to Create a Local Hanbok Culture Center." After creating Sangju Sangwon, a Gyeongbuk-type hanbok culture creation center, it plans to comprehensively support the production, sales, and research and development of hanbok. It then plans to operate a hanbok culture education program at about 50 elementary, middle and high schools in Gyeongbuk, and decided to pioneer hanbok distribution markets online and offline.

The provincial government and the Hanbok Promotion Agency will also push for a project to discover new hanboks by December this year. It selects 10 hanbok companies to train hanbok fashion designers, while supporting management consulting, brand marketing, and production management.

"The Daily Hanbok Globalization Leading Project" is also a key project. First, it plans to create a platform where people from all over the world can experience hanbok on Metabus (digital virtual world). The platform also includes hanbok exhibitions and online education. It has been decided to actively promote popularization and globalization of hanbok by actively sponsoring unique hanbok costumes for various K contents such as K-pop, dramas, and movies.

Governor Lee said, "Hanbok is enthusiastic because of its advantages in making clothes stand out regardless of any body type," adding, "We will devise various measures to make hanbok a key content of the new Korean Wave."

Date: 2022-06-08

Reporter: 신정훈