Actor Park BoGum becomes the first male face of government project ”Hanbok Wave”... Spreading the dignity of Hanbok to the world

Actor Park Bo Gum has been selected as the first male Hanbok artist in the “2025 Hanbok Wave” project, informing the world of the dignity and elegance of Hanbok.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Arts and Crafts and Design Culture Promotion Agency, has been promoting the “Hanbok Wave” project, in which Hanbok companies with potential and technology meet with Hallyu cultural artists to develop Hanbok products. This year marks the sixth time the Hanbok Wave project has been held, and so far the unique beauty of Hanbok has been introduced to the world with actress Kim Tae-ri in 2024, actress and singer Su-ji in 2023, and former figure skater Kim Yoon-ah in 2022.

This year, actor Park Bo Gum, who created a worldwide sensation with his Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, will collaborate with Hanbok brands in four domestic locations. While in the past, the project has focused on women's hanbok, this year, for the first time, a single male cultural artist will be selected to promote the project by focusing on the expansiveness and diversity of hanbok. For this purpose, the project will be accepting applications from companies that present new possibilities for men's hanbok using Bo-Gum Park as a motif from April 15th to May 9th.

In this open call, four companies will be selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of their creativity, expertise, feasibility, and expected effects, targeting small and medium-sized companies in the field of hanbok. The selected companies will develop Hanbok designs that reflect the image and symbolism of Park Bo Gum, and the developed Hanbok will be introduced on electronic billboards in major cities around the world, including Seoul, New York, Paris, and Milan, and through famous fashion magazines.

Lee Jung-woo, director of the Culture and Arts Policy Office of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, said, “Interest in hanbok has been growing along with the global proliferation of K-content, and we have seen a steady response from overseas fans who have been exposed to hanbok through dramas, performing arts, international events, and so on. I hope that through Hanbok content that harmonizes the traditional beauty of Hanbok with modern sensibilities in collaboration with Hallyu cultural artists, Hanbok will become a cultural heritage that represents Korea to the people of the world, and will become an attractive content that everyone can enjoy."