Public servants Kim Yeong-sin (center) and Nam Hee-sue (right) help a local resident while dressed in Hanbok at Hyehwa-dong Office, Jongno District in Seoul, on April 2 (photo by Jeon Han).

Public servants Kim Yeong-sin (center) and Nam Hee-sue (right) help a local resident while dressed in Hanbok at Hyehwa-dong Office, Jongno District in Seoul, on April 2 (photo by Jeon Han).


Hanbok is becoming more common in daily life these days. They are catching on at Jongno District Office, where civil servants recently declared every first Tuesday of the month a “Hanbok day” and voluntarily wear the traditional outfits on that day. Workers at the Civil Affairs & Passport Division of Jongno District Office and at Hyehwa-dong Office, in particular, all wore Hanbok on April 2.
Local residents were glad to see workers clad in Hanbok at the district office. One visitor said, “They’re very beautiful and it’s good to see them wearing Hanbok at work.”

The Hanbok, the traditional attire of Korea, is known around the world for its beautiful silhouette and colors. But, in Korea, people have turned away from it in their daily routines and regard the outfit as a ceremonial dress only for special occasions such as weddings, milestone birthday parties like “dol” (a baby’s first birthday) or “hwangap” (60th birthday), or traditional holidays.
In fact, not every Jongno District Office staffer welcomed the idea of wearing Hanbok to work at first. But they have gradually become proud of the garments.

Kim Yeong-sin, the head of Hyehwa-dong Office, said, “We have been trying wearing Hanbok in the office over the last three years and many of our staff wear Hanbok after introducing the Hanbok day. We have been receiving favorable responses from the residents and some people even gave us Hanbok as a gift.”

Hanbok-clad workers of Jongno District Office have a weekly meeting on April 2 (photo: Jeon Han).

Hanbok-clad workers of Jongno District Office have a weekly meeting on April 2 (photo: Jeon Han).

“I hope the Hanbok day event of our office can help the spread of Hanbok in citizens’ everyday lives,” said Kim Young-jong, the mayor of Jongno-gu District.
Other divisions of the district office such as General Services and Culture Information also voluntarily wore Hanbok in the office on April 2, the second Hanbok day since its launch last month.

On that day, a special symposium on Hanbok was held on the future of Hanbok by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation at the National Museum of Korea. “The Hanbok is winning recognition around the world for its beauty and we need to find the right direction for the future by figuring out its strengths and weaknesses,” said Sohn Hye Won, creative director of Crosspoint, a marketing and branding company, who gave a keynote speech at the symposium sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
“The Hanbok is not just clothing for the 19th century and we’d better wear it more often on many occasions,” said Sohn. “We also need to make Hanbok more wearable by upgrading its designs and using various materials to meet today’s needs since clothes reflect the changes of the times.”

Kim Young-jong, (left) the mayor of Jongno District Office, talks with Hanbok supporters on April 2 (photo: Jeon Han).

Kim Young-jong, (left) the mayor of Jongno District Office, talks with Hanbok supporters on April 2 (photo: Jeon Han).


“It is not convenient to wear Hanbok but it is equally inconvenient to wear high-heels or miniskirts,” said Hong Kyung-A, a member of a Hanbok supporters’ group. “Compared with high-heels or miniskirts, a Hanbok is much more comfortable than expected. I hope more people can wear Hanbok in their routine.”
 
[Source:Korea.net]