April 08, 2021 13:09
A municipality in the U.S. has honored hanbok or traditional Korean attire with a special day.
Mark Zinna, the mayor of Tenafly in New Jersey on Tuesday declared Oct. 21 "Korean Hanbok Day" beginning this year. To mark the occasion on Tuesday he showed up in hanbok himself.
Korean-American students also clad in hanbok performed traditional Korean dances at the event.
Zinna expressed hope that all citizens of Tenafly will enjoy the beauty of Korean culture on the day.
The borough has a large number of ethnic Korean residents, and Zinna explained he wanted to "commemorate the power of the Korean community as well as the special relationship with Korea."
Brian Jeon (18), a high school student who leads the Asian American Youth Council and was instrumental in persuading Zinna, pledged to convince other municipalities to designate hanbok days so Korean Americans can "keep their traditional culture alive."
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