Korean culture has been expanding throughout the world for a decade thanks to the successful globalization of K-pop and K-drama. Millions of people, especially youngsters who like listening to Kpop or watching Korean movies or dramas have a dream which is visiting Korea or living in Korea. Though we cannot say that all of these people can accomplish their dreams, an important amount, hundreds of thousands can visit Korea and experience life in Korea and the culture of Korea. There are few initial activities foreigners do when they come to Korea such as going to a Kpop concert, visiting historical destinations and wearing Hanbok which is the traditional dress of Korean society for several centuries. Hanbok culture has been rapidly expanding and booming for last years in correlation with the number of foreigners visiting Korea. You may see hundreds of foreigners wearing Hanbok around Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insa-dong and Gwanghamun area which is the heart of Seoul in terms of tradition, history, and nostalgia. Today, Hanbok culture and industry is one of the columns of Korea’s successful globalization trivet which based on K-pop, K-drama and Korean tradition.
There are loads of companies providing Hanbok experience to the tourists visiting Korea thanks to its booming market; nevertheless, only a few of these companies can differentiate themselves from the rest of the hundreds. The companies providing a unique experience in a distinguished position with a high-quality dress and expanded and diversified activities on a global scale. There is one company that perfectly fitting this definition: Hanbok Nam.
As a relatively new player in Hanbok market, Hanbok Nam has been growing and expanding its success in the not only small domestic market but also the global market through various projects, events, and exhibition.
As the reporter team of MICE Seoul, we wanted to take a closer look Hanbok Nam which is a part of MICE alliance and works with the alliance in an effective way. For this purpose, we visited Hanbok Nam and conducted an interview with them in order to provide an extensive and detailed understanding of Hanbok Nam and the Hanbok market.
Photos from the interview
Hanbok Nam, started its activities in 2012 to provide Hanbok experience by creating a culture of Hanbok, the traditional dress of Korea. Starting from the main cities of Korea, the company expands its influence towards the globe through events, exhibitions and festivals such as the Global Sharing Festival, Halloween Party, Thailand-Singapore-Malaysia-Dubai Fair in other countries in the direction of the vision that “Making Korea, Hanbok and other parts of Korean culture a global phenomenon!” .
Hanbok Nam has several branches at Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village, Changgyeonggung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Hongdae Trick Eye, Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul in addition to the stores in Jeonju, Gyeongju, Busan, Andong, and Thailand. Thailand branch shows the outstanding vision of Hanbok Nam and differentiates the company from its competitors.
As a Hanbok company with multi-dimensional mission ,vision and activities, Hanbok Nam provides Hanbok Experience not only wearing the dress for a couple of hours but also provides consulting such as revitalization projects, education programs consisting of lectures, team-building programs and venture experience, participating in festivals and events, MICE efforts in other countries and partnership, collaboration and cooperation with travel agencies and enterprises.
I am personally quite impressed with the vision of Hambok Nam since the company not only tries to make a profit by simple business activities but also aim to redefine the Hanbok culture and Hanbok industries in a various dimension by making tremendous efforts with full of awareness and expertise.
Don’t forget to visit and prefer Hanbok Nam to not only experience Hanbok but also serving a greater, meaningful and impressive purpose.
Batihan Dizdaroglu | Seoul MICE Reporter 2019