Culture ministry to open Hanbok Expo with buyer meetings

The culture ministry said it will open the 2026 Hanbok Expo at Dongdaemun Design Plaza from Aug. 13 to 16, adding business-to-business consultations for the first time.

The ninth edition will bring together 149 businesses under the theme "A Market That Makes Hanbok." The consultations will pair companies with domestic and overseas distributors and professional buyers for one-to-one talks. The ministry said the program will support participants' expansion into domestic and overseas sales channels and the discovery of new business deals.

A pavilion dedicated to Gwangjang Market's hanbok and silk market will trace its 120-year history in hanbok production and distribution. Six businesses from the market will show fabrics and garments, with displays following an outfit's creation from fabric selection through gold leaf work, embroidery and sewing.

"Hanbok is a representative cultural asset that embodies the beauty of Korea's traditional culture and an important K-culture offering that people worldwide can enjoy," Jeong Hyang-mi, director general for cultural and arts policy at the ministry, said.

Elsewhere, 133 domestic and overseas hanbok companies will sell traditional and everyday styles, fabrics, accessories, bags and household goods at discounts of up to 80 percent. A promotional hall will introduce hanbok workwear designs developed for different occupations, while education and partnership halls will present hanbok-related education, research and cultural projects. Organizers will also operate inspectors to check product quality and country of manufacture.

Visitors can take part in a Gwangjang Market-linked custom-hanbok-making activity, a hanbok styling event and market games. The expo will open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; admission costs 5,000 won, but people wearing hanbok or registering by Aug. 12 can enter free.