Culture
K Pop Demon Hunters, Hanboks & Joseon Dynasty!
Join Ashwin and Kristen as they explore the vibrant culture of Seoul, South Korea, through the lens of traditional hanboks and the historic Kyungbokgung Palace. Discover the fascinating blend of K-Pop...
K Pop Demon Hunters, Hanboks & Joseon Dynasty!
Culture •
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Interactive Transcript
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Hello, culture kids!
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Grab your imaginary passports and your bags because it's time to become a world-trodden
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explorer right where you are.
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Hello, my name is Ashwin.
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I'm your host, Alonwa's mom, Kristen.
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Today, we're heading back to my hometown, Seoul, South Korea, to visit a very special place
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near Kyungbok-dong, Palace.
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It's a beautiful, traditional place right in the heart of the city, surrounded by the
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bright light and busy streets of Seoul.
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Get ready to put on your hamburgs those colorful Korean traditional clothes that people have
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been wearing for hundreds of years.
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Before we get started, we wanted to say a big thank you to Luna and her whole family
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for your five star rating.
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Luna is seven years old and she celebrated her birthday last month on August 26th.
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She's listening from Sacramento, California.
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Thank you for being a culture kid.
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And grown-ups, if you have a minute, please leave us a rating on Apple Podcast.
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It really helps more families find the show.
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And you can also connect with us on Instagram at CultureKit Productions and shoot us a DM.
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We always love hearing from you.
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Okay, culture kids.
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I am so excited to take you all back to my hometown once again to Seoul, South Korea.
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But before we hop on our magical train, let's learn a little bit about why we're visiting
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Kyungbokgung Palace and a few fun facts about South Korea.
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South Korea is a country in Asia and it's home to one of the most exciting cities in the
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world.
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Seoul!
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There's so many robots everywhere.
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Even some toilets feel like robots.
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Okay, maybe not all, but toilets are like robots, but yes, Seoul is a city where tradition
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and the future walk hand in hand.
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neon signs glow above bustling streets and everywhere feels alive with energy.
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From touch screen menus and robot servers and restaurants to spotless subway stations and
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sleek skyscrapers, the city sparkles with innovation.
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The Korea is very popular for other music.
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Kpop!
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Yes, Kpop is short for Korean pop music and it's one of the most popular kinds of music in
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the whole world right now.
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It is full of energy with catchy songs, cool dance moves and colorful music videos.
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Kpop stars called idols train for years before they even get on stage and their fans love
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to sing and dance along.
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Oh yeah, a pop-dew song that my sister loves is called Gordon.
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Have you guys heard of it?
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It makes your dance every time.
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Me too.
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And you know what's really fun in Kpop demon hunters?
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Some of the characters are shown wearing humble.
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The beautiful colorful traditional clothing of Korea.
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The humbukes in the show look magical with flowing sleeves and bold colors.
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Hamburg also has a long history.
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People in Korea have been wearing it for more than 1,600 years.
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Today, it's usually worn for special holidays like Korean lunar new year as well as weddings
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and other celebrations.
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So when we wear a humble court dress in just like the people that hundreds of years ago,
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mostly yes, it's like stepping back in time, but with the splash of today's style too.
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So what are we doing today with these humbukes?
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Today we're doing something super fun and different.
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We're hopping on our magical train and visiting a humbuk shop near the Kyungbokgung Palace.
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Like the real actual palace?
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That's right.
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Kyungbokgung Palace is the largest and most famous palace in Korea.
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Built in 1395 and rebuilt and restored over the years.
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And nowadays, nearby the palace are many humbuk shops where we can rent humbukes,
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those beautiful traditional Korean clothes.
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Lots of visitors love to dress up in humbukes, walk around the palace and take pictures to feel
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like royalty for the day.
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Let's see who we can rent them.
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And next time, we'll pretend we're kings, queens, princes, and princesses,
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whoever you choose to be and explore what it might have felt like to live in a royal palace
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hundreds of years ago.
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I'm going to pick the one that makes me look like a real Korean king.
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We'll see.
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Okay, I hear our culture train.
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Come on guys, let's go.
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I can't wait.
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Turn on your adventure brains because we're heading to my hometown.
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We're super tall skyscraper Sparkle Woodlight.
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Robots help bring you food and music videos play on giant screens on the streets.
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This is a city where the past and future lives side by side.
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So buckle up now because we're going to Seoul, South Korea.
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Welcome back to Seoul.
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We're standing outside a small humbuk shop with bright colorful dresses and jackets hanging
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in the window.
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The narrow streets are so clean but cozy with little lanterns and decorations hanging above our
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heads, making it feel like we've stepped into a tiny story book village.
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I love decorations on the streets.
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Even the store signs are pretty.
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Mr. and Korean, but a lot of signs are in English too.
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Yes, a lot of people in Korea speak English and this is also a very touristy area right
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outside of Kyungbokung Palace.
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So we may see more signs in English than other places in Seoul.
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Okay, let's head inside to pick out our own humbukes, learn about their history and get ready
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to explore the palace dressed like royalty.
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Hello.
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Asher just bowed and said hello.
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Hello, this is a standard greeting in Korea.
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Hello, I'm John.
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Hello, I'm Kristen and this is my son Asher.
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We're from California but my mom is from Korea.
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Do you speak English?
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Yes, I do.
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What can I help you with today?
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We're here to rent some of these beautiful humbukes.
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I want to look like a king, a serious Korean king that rules the lunch.
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I can help you with that.
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We have tons of options.
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Come this way.
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Okay, culture kids, let's go check them out.
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Here are all the humbukes.
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Come look around.
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Wow, imagine this, you guys.
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We're standing in front of two rows of beautiful humbukes.
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They're shining in almost every color of the rainbow.
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To the right are humbukes with roomy pants and matching tops.
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And to our left is a long row of humbukes with big,
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flowy skirts and short jackets with long sleeves.
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Each one is so bright and colorful.
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So if you'd like to try the women's humbuk,
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it comes with a long flowy skirt, shaped like a big bell.
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That's called a chima.
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It looks like colorful princess dresses.
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The skirt is really big and poofy.
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Yes, as you can see, it comes in many beautiful colors for you to choose from.
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On top of the chima, there's a chagori,
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a short jacket with long sleeves that ties with a neat little ribbon in the front.
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Chagori.
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Oh, and to the left, I see the men's humbuk.
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It has roomy pants that are tied at the ankles,
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also worn with the chagori jacket.
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Is this for the king's war?
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Well, come over this way.
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If you're looking for something more royal,
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we do have a humbuk that looks similar to what the Korean kings once wore.
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It's not exactly the same, but it's inspired by the royal outfits from the Chosan dynasty.
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Wow, we're standing right in front of the royal humbuk now.
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Look at this robe.
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It's so long and flowing that it nearly touches the floor.
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The sleeves are wide and grand, spreading out like wings when you lift your arms.
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The fabric is bright, powerful red, a color that symbolizes strength and dignity.
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This kind of robe was commonly worn by kings during the Chosan dynasty,
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which ruled Korea for more than 500 years, starting 600 years ago.
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Whoa, it looks so fancy.
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Take a look at this golden pattern across the chest.
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It's a majestic dragon, the royal symbol of power and protection in Korea.
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Around the waist, the king wore a wide and broider belt that kept the robe in place
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made it flow gracefully, a gown fit for the true ruler of the Chosan dynasty.
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Wow, and do they wear a crown with this?
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Yes, kings during the Chosan dynasty wore special headpieces,
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kind of like crowns.
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One of the most famous ones is called Ik-Sung-Gwan, a tall black hat with two wing-like shapes
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on the sides. It was worn by kings and crown princes to show their dignity and royal authority.
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And look here, do you see this round black hat?
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This round black hat has a tall crown shaped like a short cylinder and a perfectly flat wide
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brim that stretches out in a big circle all around it. The brim is thin and see through almost
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like a window screen while the crown stands straight up. Together, it looks like a big top hat
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sitting on a giant black round plate.
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This tall black hat is called a cut.
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Wait a second, I've seen that before in K-Pop Demon Hunters.
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The characters wore big black hats when the satcha boys were on stage.
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Yep, and that's because from the Chosan dynasty, hundreds of years ago,
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important scholars, government officials, and noblemen, not kings, were the cut with their humble.
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It became a symbol of wisdom, respect, and honor in Korean culture.
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It's made from horse hair and bamboo, and it ties under the chin with a ribbon.
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These noblemen that wore these cuts were called yangban's and the Chosan dynasty.
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It showed their status and gave them a very elegant look.
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Do you have a cut in my size?
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I do. Let me get one.
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What about the queens, mommy? What did they wear?
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Good question, Asher. Can't forget about the queens.
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Queens in Korea wore special ceremonial robes that look like they came straight out of a fairy tale.
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During the Chosan dynasty, queens and princesses were a robe called
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one-tam for weddings and major ceremonies.
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It was usually bright red or green and decorated with golden phoenixes, flowers, or clouds,
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symbols of royalty for Choo and good fortune.
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Wow, that sounds so colorful and shiny.
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On their heads, they wore elegant crowns and ornaments, a small crown called chokduri
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for formal occasions or a more elaborate wagon, a flower-shaped crown, sparkling with gold,
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jade, and coral. During special state ceremonies, queens also were tall golden crowns inspired
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by the designs of Korea's earlier dynasties, sometimes shaped like tree branches with jewels
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that glimmered in the light. All together, their robes and ornaments showed everyone their grace,
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wisdom, and dignity as the most respected women in the kingdom.
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Oh, Mr. John is coming back with a cut. I think that's definitely kid-sized.
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Here you go. Here's a kid-sized cut you can wear.
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Putting it on now.
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Wow, Asher has the cut on and he really does look like a serious Korean noble man.
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Hey, I'm a sadger boy, my lo-so-da-pup.
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Well, now that you have your cut, you will need a hunvoke to go with that.
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What kind of hunvoke would you like to wear, Asher?
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I'd like a red jacket and other blue pants, please.
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Sure, and you, Kristen?
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I'd love the deep purple chima with a matching chokduri.
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Sounds good. Let's get you guys set up.
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So we can wear these and walk around soar?
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Yep, like we talked about before, renting hunvokes and wearing them around Kyungbokong Palace
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in this area is a very common thing people like to do when visiting Korea.
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While we get changed into our hunvokes, it is time for our culture kids to hop back on our
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magical train and head on home. But don't worry, our adventure is only just beginning.
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Next time, we'll walk right through the gates of Kyungbokong Palace,
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dressed in our hunvokes to explore what life was like for kings and queens hundreds of years ago.
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Awesome. I can't wait.
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And to our culture kids' families, do you have a piece of clothing in your family that carries a story?
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Maybe it's a dress saved for special holidays, a jacket handed down from a grandparent,
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or even a scarf that reminds you of home. Just like hunvokes in Korea hold the memories of
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royalty celebrations in everyday life for more than a thousand years, the clothes we treasure
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can hold love, history, and connection across generations. When we pause to notice these stories or
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memories, we remember that every family like yours has something special to share, and those
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memories can live on even in the things we wear. And lastly, always remember, you and your family
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are valued, welcomed, and celebrated for exactly who you are because every child belongs here
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at culture kids. See you next week.
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Okay.
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I got a good one. Go. Why did the scientist wear denim? Why? Because they were
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a genius. I got it. Yes, genius means like you're really smart, but genius denim, the pants.
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Okay, your turn. Go. What kind of music do mommies like?
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I don't know. What kind of music?
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Rap music. Get it? Oh, yeah. Like rap the type of music, but like mommies are wrapped.
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Mare, halloween's coming up guys. Time for spooky jokes.
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Thanks for joining us today. Get ready as we head to Greece, Beijing, Dominican Republic, and so
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many more places around the world on our magical culture train. Please don't forget to tell just
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one person or more about our show. This is how you help us spread our mission and reach more
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families around the world to join our multicultural mindset. And yes, you are our marketing team.
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Thank you for all that you do and see you next week. Bye bye.