Joseon royal wedding comes alive in Paris

Exquisite pieces of Korean court hanbok and royal wedding rituals charmed Parisians on Tuesday night, during a special event held as a part of Korea-France Week 2011 in France.

Organized by the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, the event, which consisted of a hanbok fashion show, a Korean gugak concert, and a re-enactment of the Joseon-era royal wedding ceremony, was presented in front of some 200 invited guests at the InterContinental Hotel Paris. French author Bernard Werber, whose books have been particularly popular in Korea, was among those attending the event.

The recreation of the Joseon royal wedding ceremony was performed based on one of the Joseon royal books, known as “Uigwe,” which recorded the wedding of King Gojong and Queen Myeongseong in 1866. The book contains both text and hand-drawn illustrations of the royal wedding, and the Korean Royal Costume Research Institute ― which has been studying royal garments for the last 30 years ― created the pieces for the show based on the book’s record.

The wedding of King Gojong and Queen Myeongseong is also featured in some of the “Oegyujanggak Uigwe” books, which were returned to Seoul from France this year, 145 years after they were looted by French troops during an invasion of Korea’s western island of Ganghwa.

Miss Korea 2006 and actress Honey Lee played the role of the queen in the re-enactment and participated as one of the models for the hanbok fashion show. Professor Mun Jae-suk, a renowned gayageum musician who is also Honey Lee’s mother, played the Korean 12-stringed zither. Video works by Korean media artist Lee Inam were featured during the event as well.

Guests were given the opportunity to try Korea’s traditional court cuisine during the banquet dinner.

“France has been largely introduced to Korea’s contemporary popular culture, such as K-pop,” said Lee Bae-yong, the chairperson of the Presidential Council on National Branding. “So it is very meaningful to show another side of Korean culture, especially our traditional flair.”

Korea-France Week 2011, which consists of cultural events, business forums and the showcasing of Korean movies, TV shows, tourism and beauty products, runs until Saturday.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)