Trot singer Song Ga-in appointed 2022 honorary hanbok ambassador

Trot singer Song Ga-in / Courtesy of PocketDol Studio

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Trot singer Song Ga-in has been named the honorary hanbok ambassador of 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday.

The culture ministry, together with the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, has appointed an honorary ambassador each year since 2014 to promote traditional Korean attire. Last year's ambassador was singer-actor Jun Hyo-seong.

Song will wear traditional Korean clothing at public events, promoting hanbok at home and abroad. She has demonstrated her love for hanbok as she has often performed wearing hanbok-inspired stage costumes.

“I'm well aware of the fact that the culture ministry has been developing hanbok-inspired school and work uniform designs so that more people can enjoy hanbok. The government has been carrying out diverse projects with fashion schools and cultural centers overseas to promote hanbok,” Song said.

“As an honorary hanbok ambassador, I will try my best so that not only Koreans but people all over the world can love the clothing.”

Culture Minister Hwang Hee congratulated Song on her appointment. “We hope she can take part in promoting the beauty of hanbok and the essence of our cultural heritage so people better understand that the hanbok is not only worn on special occasions but can be worn anytime in everyday life,” he said.

Having debuted in 2019 through the singing competition show “Miss Trot,” Song revived the genre known as trot, an old style of music that was most popular in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s. Known for her unique vocal technique, she has appeared in many TV shows such as “Poongryu” and “Trot Magic.”

The singer has also been at the forefront of promoting the national folk song “Arirang,” which was recognized as an “oral and intangible heritage of humanity” by UNESCO in 2012. She was featured in a two-minute video clip co-produced by the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation performing Arirang in her own style.