Ancient Royal Court Performance Delights Parisians

Models wearing traditional Korean royal gowns pose on the catwalk at a show celebrating Korea-France Week in Paris on Tuesday. /Yonhap

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Parisians were offered a glimpse into the royal culture of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) as part of Korea-France Week at the InterContinental Hotel Paris on Tuesday night (local time).

A Chosun royal wedding ceremony was reenacted with the iconic images of Notre Dame and Montmartre in the background. Based on relevant records from the Oegyujanggak royal archives, the reenactment included the queen's installation, her official entrance into the palace, and the first night of wedding celebrations. The archives were returned to Korea this April, some 145 years after France looted them in a botched invasion.

The show began with a performance on the gayageum (12-stringed zither) by Ewha Womans University Professor Moon Jae-suk. It continued with some of the videos of artist Lee Lee-nam, which showed a fusion of traditional Korean landscape paintings and the works of great French painters.

To ensure the performances were as authentic as possible, the Korean Royal Costume Research Institute designed and produced the royal attire based on the dynasty's royal texts.

A fashion show featuring traditional Korean royal costumes was also included in the line-up of events, with Miss Korea pageant winner Lee Hanee, who is Prof. Moon's daughter, playing the role of a former queen. French models also took to the catwalk to present designers' modern interpretations of ancient Korean clothing.

The event demonstrated the burgeoning interest in Korean culture and history in Europe amid the swelling popularity of K-pop overseas, said Lee Bae-yong, chairwoman of the Presidential Council on National Branding.