Park Bo-gum in hanbok featured on New York Times Square billboard for Chuseok

연합뉴스 / 2025-10-02 12:18:59

▲ This pictorial provided by the South Korean culture ministry shows South Korean actor Park Bo-gum in hanbok, the Korean traditional attire. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- A video of actor Park Bo-gum dressed in hanbok will be shown on a billboard in New York’s Times Square on Chuseok, the culture ministry said Thursday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft and Design Foundation said the footage, produced as part of the “Hanbok Wave” project to promote traditional Korean attire, will be screened on Monday (local time).

On the same day, the video will also be displayed on billboards at Shinsegae Square in Seoul’s Myeong-dong district, Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Shinjuku in Tokyo and Cite de l’Image in Paris.

▲ This pictorial provided by the South Korean culture ministry shows South Korean actor Park Bo-gum in hanbok, the Korean traditional attire. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In addition to the video, photos and an interview with Park will be available on the ministry’s and the foundation’s official social media platforms starting Monday. Traditional hanbok featured in the shoot will be showcased at the exhibition “Line of Elegance, Texture of Dignity” from Nov. 15, 2025, to Feb. 11, 2026, at Culture Station Seoul 284, the former Seoul Station. A special edition of Harper’s Bazaar Korea featuring the photos will be published on Sept. 10.

Launched in 2019, “Hanbok Wave” collaborates with Korean cultural figures to promote the beauty of hanbok and support promising hanbok brands in advancing overseas. Actress Kim Tae-ri participated last year, following actress Suzy in 2023 and former figure skater Kim Yu-na in 2022. Park is the first male model for the campaign.

▲ This pictorial provided by the South Korean culture ministry shows South Korean actor Park Bo-gum in hanbok, the Korean traditional attire. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This year, four domestic hanbok brands selected through an open contest worked with Park to present designs combining traditional aesthetics with modern sensibilities.

“Recently, the trend of Hallyu has been to highlight refined beauty by merging traditional culture with popular culture,” said Lee Jeong-mi, director-general for culture policy at the ministry. “We hope the beauty of modern men’s hanbok will be showcased worldwide with Hallyu star Park Bo-gum.”