Modern Twist of Hanbok Captures Youngsters

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Staff Reporter

When the MBC drama ``Gung,'' or ``Princess Hours,'' was aired early last year, it quickly became a hit. It wasn't just the fact that the TV series was based on a popular comic book by Park So-hee about a royal family in Korea that kept viewers coming back for more.

The stylish sets and fashionable costumes also caught the eye of many viewers. The feminine, modern hanbok-inspired dresses worn by Yun Eun-hye as a modern-day Korean princess attracted much attention.

Not many people know the designer behind the stylish, yet distinctly Korean costumes that were truly befitting of a modern royal family.

Designer Bae Young-jin created costumes that combined elements of the traditional hanbok with a modern sensibility. It was her background as a hanbok designer that got the attention of the drama producers to ask her to make the costumes for the hit series.

In an interview with The Korea Times at her shop Coser in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Bae said that she took much inspiration from the original comic book.