About this episode

The episode explores the revival of South Korea's cultural traditions, focusing on modern hanboks and Jeju's legendary sea women.

From modern hanboks to Jeju's legendary sea women, discover how South Korea's oldest traditions are finding new life. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in. In this episode, host Li Xueying interviews South Korea correspondent Wendy Teo to explore the modern revival of South Korea's cultural traditions, from the reimagined hanbok to Jeju's legendary haenyeo. They also discuss why the hanbok is making a comeback in South Korea, from everyday office wear to global pop culture, driven by K-pop, changing attitudes towards traditional dress and efforts to preserve cultural heritage. Then travel to Jeju to meet the haenyeo, the island's legendary female free-divers, and find out why this centuries-old, physically demanding way of life is drawing a new generation seeking a slower, more meaningful life. Highlights (click/tap above): 0:50 Modern hanbok redefining tradition 5:00 The BTS effect on national dress 6:00 The power of hanbok diplomacy 12:55 The siren call of Jeju Island 16:15 Diving into the unknown 18:20 Can these traditions survive? Read Wendy Teo’s…

People in this episode

Host: Li Xueying

Guest: Wendy Teo

Topics covered

• cultural revival
• traditional dress
• K-pop influence
• female free-divers
• cultural heritage
• modern traditions

Keywords

• hanbok
• K-pop
• Jeju
• haenyeo
• cultural heritage
• tradition
• South Korea
• BTS
• female divers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Straits Times

Products: hanbok

Places: Jeju, South Korea, Jeju Island

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