The exhibition titled Charm of Seoul — Traditional Attire and Home from Seoul opened on Tuesday at the Budapest Ethnographic Museum. The exhibition, consisting of displays selected from the collection of the Seoul History Museum, presents the history and everyday life of the South Korean capital, including changes in clothing and home culture over the centuries.

‘In recent years, economic cooperation between the two countries has reached a fantastic level,’ Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák highlighted at the exhibition’s opening. ‘The Budapest exhibition, the Hungarian exhibition held in Seoul, and the Hungarian season held in Korea a few years ago are just the beginning of the process of elevating our cultural relations to the same level as our economic relations,’ the minister emphasized. He mentioned that the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble will tour Korea for three weeks next year. So Koreans will be able to get to know Hungarian visual language alongside the country’s singing and dancing language, János Csák remarked.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Hungary Hong Kyu Dok pointed out that Seoul residents have been showing increasing interest in Hungary lately, thanks to a recent exhibition about Hungary in Seoul. As he stated, Korea and Hungary are constantly planning their next joint steps, and cultural cooperation signals that the close relationship will continue to strengthen in the future. He emphasized that the relationship between the two countries has developed rapidly in recent years,

with more than 300 Korean companies operating in Hungary, and South Korea being Hungary’s largest investor in recent years.

These relationships will contribute to more active personal connections between Korean and Hungarian people.

Director of the Ethnographic Museum Lajos Kemecsi explained that with the exhibition opening on Tuesday, there are now four temporary exhibitions available to visit in the museum, in addition to their two permanent exhibitions. As he stated, the exhibition aims to showcase the traditional clothing and home culture of the Korean capital, Seoul, and the continuation of this heritage. ‘We hope to provide insight into the beauty of the fascinating Korean way of life while also telling the story of the coexistence of traditional and contemporary culture,’ he said, adding that the exhibition is primarily about personal stories, dialogue, and the values of cultural encounters.

The exhibition from the Seoul History Museum in Budapest presents the daily life and holidays of Koreans, as well as the system of values and symbols that permeates their society in the delicate patterns and variations of clothing and interior design. In each piece of clothing, not only Seoul’s traditions, the wearer’s status, education, age, and gender are represented, but also the fate and daily life of the people living there, the director noted.

The exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum features 250 objects and numerous photos showcasing the South Korean capital over the past hundred years. The exhibition will be open until 18 February 2024.

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Sources: Hungarian Conservative/KIM/MTI