First ladies to taste styles of Seoul

Celebrity first ladies like the United States’ Michelle Obama or France’s Carla Bruni, left, are not expected to visit during the G20 Seoul Summit. However, first lady Kim Yoon-ok, right, will be welcoming other spouses of the global leaders by hosting special events at Samsung Leeum Museum of Art, center top, and Changdeok Palace, center below. / Korea Times file

By Lee Hyo-won

When the G20 leaders gather in Seoul this week, their spouses will be sharing the media spotlight as well.

First lady Kim Yoon-ok will be welcoming these special guests by hosting events that showcase the hallmarks of Korean culture.
On Thursday, the spouses will gather separately for a welcome dinner.

The event will take place at Samsung Leeum Museum of Art, which was designed by superstar architects Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas. It houses an impressive collection of traditional Korean works and contemporary pieces from around the world.

The following day the group will gather at Changdeok Palace, downtown Seoul for a “hanbok” (traditional costume) fashion show.

The time-honored venue, which dates back to 1405, is one of the most scenic attractions in the city, and is particularly famous for its Secret Garden.

With the fall foliage creating an atmospheric backdrop, the event will feature 24 creations, 12 each by two of the country’s leading hanbok designers Lee Young-hee and Kim Young-seok.

The show will be followed by lunch at the Korean Furniture Museum in Seongbuk-dong, where the guests will be able to taste something local.

Kim, who is the president of a project that promotes globalizations of Korean cuisine, carefully oversaw the menu herself, along with other experts such as Song Heui-ra, deputy director of the Korean Food Foundation.

The traditional-style meal is in sync with the venue, which is a “hanok” (traditional Korean building) that was used as a vacation home by a scholar during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The country’s top artisans worked on restoring the edifice for 12 years. It features ornate, immaculately crafted traditional furniture as well as a garden that is rife with nostalgia.

Meanwhile, the chances of seeing celebrity first ladies like the United States’ Michelle Obama or France’s Carla Bruni tasting kimchi appear slim, however.

“We haven’t received confirmations of their attendance yet but it seems unlikely,” said Edelman Korea, which is organizing the events for the spouses.

It is rumored that Obama is most likely to stay home to care for her two young daughters while Bruni won’t be accompanying her husband due to scheduling conflicts. President Nicholas Sarkozy will be staying in Seoul for only one of the two days since he is due to attend a ceremony commemorating the end of World War II in France on Friday.

It is also less likely to see the “first gentlemen” in Seoul — namely the husbands of German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the recently widowed Argentine President Cristina Fernandez.

So far, the VIP ladies of China, Ethiopia, India, Russia and Turkey are expected to accompany their husbands.

About the ‘hanbok’ designers

Lee Young-hee, 74, is famous for designing hanbok for the 21 heads of state who visited Korea for the 2005 APEC summit. Then-U.S. President George W. Bush praised her work, and fashion icon Miuccia Prada is known to have visited Lee’s boutique in Sinsa-dong, Seoul last year and bought several works.

Lee is the first Korean to feature in the Pret-a-porter Paris Show in 1993 and has been invited to present her work at over 400 fashion events around the world.

“I am well past my 70s, but there are still so many things I want to accomplish,” she said. “I want to show the world leaders at the G20 how beautiful hanbok is.”

She plans to present something traditional though with a modern touch, by creating contemporary designs using traditional natural dye fabric.

Meanwhile, Kim Young-seok, 47, is noted for his innovative use of the five quintessential Korean colors, red, blue, yellow, white and black.

He is also famous for having quit a promising career as an event organizer to plunge into the world of hanbok design in his mid-30s.

“It was disheartening to see our folk culture fading away,” he said. “As I came across documents and objects that reflected how hanbok evolved over time, I felt a calling that I should pass on this rich heritage to the next generation.”

For the G20 event, he plans to curb the use of bold colors and focus on the middle shades, which he says look good on anyone, while paying heed to traditional forms.

Peek into the menu

Thursday dinner: Western cuisine will be served for the first big meal. The full-course dinner will feature a choice of “hanwoo” (domestic beef) steak or fish for the main dish. For the latter, seasonal catch that are tastiest in November, such as sea bream or tile fish, will be presented.

Friday lunch: Hansik will be dished out as a multi-course meal. The menu includes “neobiani” — where beef is thinly sliced, seasoned and grilled. Bean sprout soup, rice, kimchi and other local dishes will be offered.

“Experiencing the profound and diverse taste of Korean cuisine will help people better appreciate and understand Korea during the G20 Summit,” Kim said during the reopening ceremony of Lotte Hotel’s hansik restaurant in Seoul, Wednesday. She will also be giving a book she penned, “Nature of Korean Food by Kim Yoon-ok,” to the G20 leaders’ spouses as a gift.