A exhibition booth for hanbok during the KDAY event at Siam Paragon NEX HALL in Bangkok / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Korea is expanding its cultural diplomacy beyond the screens of Netflix and the stages of K-pop, launching an integrated initiative to embed traditional lifestyle and fashion goods in international markets.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Wednesday hailed the successful debut of KDAY, a comprehensive lifestyle festival in Bangkok that drew more than 6,000 visitors over the weekend. Held at the Siam Paragon NEX Hall, the two-day event signals a tactical shift by state planners looking to tie commercial exports directly to traditional aesthetics.
The centerpiece of the showcase was a contemporary reimagining of the hanbok, the traditional Korean attire. Six design brands presented a runway exhibition featuring modernized garments adapted for daily wear. To deepen regional engagement, organizers enlisted Nichkhun, a Thai-born member of the K-pop group 2PM, to lead cultural talk shows and fan sessions exploring the history and modern relevance of the clothing style.
The selection of Thailand as the inaugural site reflects market data. According to the 2025 Global Hallyu Trends Survey, which showed that Thai respondents had the highest hanbok experience rate among 28 countries surveyed, along with a near-universal purchasing rate for Korean beauty and food products.
