Pres. Park enthralls Vietnamese audience with elegant Hanbok

At the fashion show of the countries attended by many government ministers and leading figures of both Korea and Vietnam, President Madam Park walked about 10 meters on the runway showing off a Korean Royal Hanbok Jeogori (coat) of ivory color accented with silver patterns and Chima (skirts) of light forsythia yellow adorned with a Norigae (traditional Korean ornaments for noble women).

A leading Korean-language daily, Joongang Ilbo, said President Park was accorded with a warm acclaim from the audience and introduced her as a great admirer of Hanbok as an important cultural heritage of Korea. Then it said that President Park always carried Hanbok in her baggage as an essential item whenever she toured the different countries in her summit diplomacy.

Another influential Korean-language daily, Chosun Ilbo, which claims the largest circulation in Korea, also introduced President Park’s modeling of Hanbok appearing from between two lineups of models (Koreans on the right and Vietnamese on the left) displaying silver-patterned ivory Jeogori and light yellow Chima.

Still another Korean-language daily, Kookmin Ilbo, praised President Park that her summit diplomacy was beyond the realm of economic cooperation and exchange covering the sphere of culture, and admired her refined and elegant figure in Hanbok.

Even the normally opposition- oriented critical Korean-language daily, Hankyoreh Shinmun, in a rare display of goodwill to the incumbent President, reported that it contributed to the enhancement of harmonious atmosphere and exchange between Korea and Vietnam, and praised her for her effort for introducing the Korean culture more widely to the outside world.

Another critical Korean-language daily, Kyunghayng Shinmun, favorably reported President Madam Park’s wearing of Hanbok during her summit diplomacy tours of the United States and China with an eye to promoting Korean culture overseas.

Another conservative Korean- language daily, Dong-A Ilbo, said that President Park appeared to be making added effort to win the heart of the Vietnamese people and that this may come from her feeling of indebtedness to the Vietnamese people from the depth of her heart for the dispatching of Korean troops to Vietnam by her father, the late former President Park Chung Hee.

The Hanbok-Aodai Fashion Parade was the first official event on the itinerary of her state visit to Vietnam. An estimated 300 political and government leaders as well as figures from the culture and arts circles joined the fashion show.

From the Vietnamese side came Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan; Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh; Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Welfare Pham Thi Hai Chuyen; Chairman of the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Organization Vu Xuan Hong; and Minister of Public Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.

From the Korean side, besides President Park, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se, Minister of Employment and Labor Phang Ha-nam and Ambassador Jun Dae-joo to Vietnam.

On the theme of "Journeying Together Toward a Brighter Future," the fashion show featured a total of 34 Hanbok dresses and 34 Aodai costumes created by a total of 17 Korean and two Vietnamese designers.

Two Korean veteran designers Lee Yong-joo of Greta Lee Hanbok and Lee Hyo-jae of Lee Hyo-jae Hanbok took part together with emerging designers such as Cho Jin-woo of Baek Oak-soo Hanbok and Kim Min-jeong of Hanboklynn. Korean provincial designers also took part and they included Oh Jeom-hee of Yeji Hanbok and Kang Hye-kyung of Kang Hye-kyung Hanbok. Participating designers incorporated various themes in their designs, highlighting harmony, tradition, splendor, refinement, natural beauty and familiarity.

Designers from the Vietnamese side included Lan Huong, a leading Vietnamese fashion maestro like Korea’s Andre Kim, and LeSy Hoang, an up-and-comer who is being recognized as a promising new designer. k