Preliminary Profile of Lee Yena
Aged 27 (born in 1991), she introduces herself under her nickname “Korean Hippy,” which was first inspired by her hippy friends she met in South America. Drawn by their freedom, a lifestyle that prioritizes pleasure in the present and a willingness to share everything with anyone around, she captured their values into ‘Hippy’ represented by the Chinese characters ‘喜披’ which signify ‘joy’ and ‘sharing’ respectively.

Winter vacation came to an end. And came a new year and a new semester. During the past few months, many HUFSans must have paid a visit to various tourist venues with friends and family. These days, a growing number of people in their twenties travel to Korea’s traditional housing ‘han-ok’ in traditional costume ‘hanbok.’ This hanbok wave has swept beyond the han-ok walls as the youth stroll the roads wearing hanbok as if it were a mere fashion trend.

In recognition of this cultural trend, there is a person who broadened the scope of ‘traveling in hanbok’ from the national to the international level. In courageous pursuit of her love for hanbok, she traveled to eight countries in South America, wearing nothing but hanbok for 446 days. Since her arrival last year, she has been dedicated to sharing her extraordinary experience from her travels with people; she has given public speeches, lessons at schools, and recently opened up an exhibition displaying her photos in hanbok. The Argus met with Lee Yena and heard about her journey in hanbok and how it colored her dull life.

Part One. Turning Point: Traveling South America in Hanbok

The Argus: Please briefly introduce yourself.
Lee Yena (Lee): In one word, I am a ‘traveler.’ Driven by my insatiable wanderlust, I love to wander around to different places. I have now completed two journeys, both in hanbok. Under the nickname Korean Hippy, I am opening up a photo exhibition, giving lectures to students and delivering public speeches to adults to share my travel experiences with people in various ways.

The Argus: What inspired you to travel wearing hanbok?
Lee: Personally, it has always been hanbok that best represented my inner spirit and identity that I wanted to express. Unfortunately, we [Koreans] do not often wear hanbok for two reasons. First, the ‘awareness culture’ in Korean society, constantly being conscious of other people, makes it difficult to wear hanbok against the widespread perception that traditional clothing is worn only on holidays. Second, hanbok is not comfortable to wear. As a result, I also could not dare wear hanbok.
One day, a foreign man asked why someone like me who loves hanbok and Korean culture does not wear hanbok. I could not come up with a proper answer. This incident stimulated me to challenge the two barriers to wearing what I want. To give out a message to others about self-expression and experiment with the discomfort of hanbok, I decided to go on a trip to South America wearing hanbok. It was the first time that I spread my spirit for no one but myself.

The Argus: Why did you decide on South America?
Lee: Beforehand, I had worked as an intern in the U.S. for a while. There, my friends and I were sorry about one thing. When people go abroad, they start to uncover who they really are. They learn the joy of learning about one’s genuine yet unknown self, as they start from scratch in the unknown environment. However, they lose what they learned about themselves when they go back to Korea, as if everything had been a dream.
I was also worried about whether what I had found out there would last or I might succumb to the harsh realities in Korea. After hours of contemplation, I concluded that in order to safeguard what I had reaped here, I thought I needed a strong power?power to reject assimilation into reality. At that time, South America was entirely beyond my comfort zone. Hence, I challenged myself to push my limits, believing the unfamiliarity would help me grow stronger. That is why I traveled to South America.

The Argus: What did you do during your travels in South America?
Lee: My first plan was to survive two months, but I destroyed my own plans and stayed there for a year and a half. While I traveled, I became acquainted with some friends who were interested in Korean culture and hanbok, and I ended up teaching Korean to people and holding a special event to introduce hanbok.
Frankly speaking, I disagree with asking people questions like ‘Do you know about Kimchi?’ I believe it is more important to let people know about hanbok in the most natural way possible, for example, by having a casual conversation about hanbok. And if they see one, they will be naturally drawn in by its beauty. With this idea in mind, before traveling, I studied about my own culture and hanbok so that I would be able to answer questions and teach people correctly.

Part Two. After a Turning Point, in Korea

The Argus: Why did you resume traveling in hanbok right after you returned to Korea?
Lee: I came back to Korea with a specific purpose in mind. It was to let Koreans know about our hanbok. As a matter of fact, everyone nonchalantly says, “I wish more people would wear hanbok,” or “I want foreigners to know about hanbok.” However, nobody actually wears hanbok as a reflection of their own words. How can we ask foreigners to take an interest in and wear hanbok when we ourselves do not?
Koreans do not wear hanbok because it is uncomfortable and they are self-conscious. Now, the uncomfortable side of hanbok has been solved with the introduction of contemporary designs, optimized for mobility. And the number of people wearing hanbok during their travel overseas has increased considerably. Yet few people go around Korea wearing hanbok. Many have confessed to me, “I do not have the guts to wear it [hanbok] in Korea. I feel like everyone will stare at me.” So, I decided to take the next challenge: to wear hanbok and wander around in my own home country?the hardest and scariest place to wear hanbok. Having bolstered my inner strength in South America, I thought it was time that I demonstrate it, and so I did.

The Argus: How did Koreans react to you traveling around wearing hanbok?
Lee: Like most foreigners, most Koreans responded positively. However, there were some who responded negatively. When I traveled in South America, I made some changes to the traditional hanbok; I removed the front ribbon of hanbok, cut down on the skirts, wore sneakers underneath, and attached another piece of traditional Peruvian cloth to my hanbok. Some people criticized my alterations, saying hanbok should be worn in a specific manner and with respect. Once, a renowned professor in the field of art scrapped the article on Facebook, which covered my traveling in hanbok. He accused me of partaking in the nationalistic notion that our nation is the best and trying to show off. After hearing this from my friend, I went to his Facebook page and left a comment, explaining why I was traveling around in hanbok, regarding the purpose and value of my travels. I also replied to everyone else who posted derogatory comments under the professor’s post. Strangely enough, a lot of those people have now become my Facebook followers; some apologized for the misunderstanding and the professor showed support for my project. It was as if I befriended the tiger in his cave.

The Argus: These days, more people in their twenties are wearing hanbok. While you traveled, did you feel any difference in perception towards hanbok compared to in the past?
Lee: It seems more and more people dress themselves in hanbok than before. If you wear hanbok and walk around in big cities, no one seems to care. Also, I have personally received a lot of questions on ‘traveling in hanbok’ from people who have an interest in hanbok via my Facebook page “I Travel in Hanbok X Korean Hippy.” I find it to be a positive thing in that hanbok are worn more often, but I hope it does not end here. More and more people should take an interest and ponder the various ways through which Hanbok culture can gradually be spread and developed into popular and permanent culture. Only then will we reach a step closer to a substantial cultural change.

The Argus: Do you feel an air of anxiety from walking a different path from your friends?
Lee: I was always anxious, never free from worries. I was afraid that I might go back to the ‘Me Before Traveling’ if I returned to Korea. I was also afraid that I might grow distant from my friends for not being able to relate to their bustling lives in Korea. Even now, I am uncertain if I am practicing what I had learned from my travels. However, I have recently realized that these types of worries have no ultimate answer to resolve them all at once. Rather, it is something I have to carry throughout my life. After acknowledging that, I was released from the continuous distress that lurked within me. Additionally, after my travel experiences, I have come to believe that I will eventually make the decisions to live the way I want.

The Argus: What are your plans for this year?
Lee: This year, I will stay in Korea with the main focus on ‘travel’ and ‘education.’ Although they are seemingly irrelevant, I want to develop a ‘process’ through which travel is a kind of education. Specifically, I would like to gather people every month on the similar theme of their troubles and go on a trip together and help them learn to overcome their hardships through traveling. In addition, I want to deliver what I learned from traveling to children in schools. Ultimately, I hope to change this closed society where we cannot be who we really are. I wish to establish a hippy community and a school where children can grow into individuals who can express their identities with confidence.

The Argus: Do you have anything to say to the readers also in their twenties?
Lee: I would like to tell them to “Leave.” If they ask me what they should look for, I would answer “Yourself.” Before my trip to South America, I was an ordinary 22-year-old girl who was stressed out about employment. I did not have a clue what I liked and what I should do in life. When an aptitude exam suggested “journalist” as my career, I deemed it right and acquiesced. However, during my travels, I had to worry about what I really was without the conditions that defined my identity back in Korea, such as academic achievements or qualifications. Thanks to my journey, I finally found a direction for my life. Therefore, I would like to recommend readers to leave and throw themselves out there. Spend time with people you do not know and find out who you are. I am confident that this kind of [out-of-nowhere/reckless] experience will come across as your own turning point in life.

From this interview, we learned how Yena earned the title of “Hanbok Traveler.” Beforehand, she was no different from all of us-a youth struggling to find an answer and meaning in life. However, her unique experience of ‘traveling in hanbok’ transformed her life. As a result, she has managed to steer her life to a direction she now knows that she wants, and the voyage to her destination or her purpose is still underway.

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In fact, ‘culture’ is prevalently perceived as a supplementary factor that complements quality of life but is not indispensable to life. Nevertheless, as can be seen from above, Yena devised her own method of partaking in cultural movements, and she came to the realization of how to lead her life. Nothing except for her very own cultural experience has empowered her as well as her own life experience.

With respect to the power invested in cultural experiences, The Argus hopes the article will inspire readers to embark on their own mission to define themselves and their lives by undertaking an active and conscious role as a budding member of society amidst the busily shifting cultural waves of their twenties.

Associate Editor of Culture Section