Jinju City, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro Wears Jinju Silk Hanbok!

'The Light of Korea - Jinju Silk, etc.' Exhibition
Silk Lantern Tunnel and Harmon Lantern Showcase Jinju's Cultural Content

Jinju City in Gyeongnam announced on the 11th that it participated in a 'Projection Mapping' event, where an image of Hanbok was projected onto the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a world-famous tourist landmark and a symbol of Brazil.

This event was co-hosted by Jinju City, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Brazil to wish for the successful hosting of the 'Light of Korea - Jinju Silk Lanterns' exhibition (June 9 - August 25) and the G20 Summit (November 18-19, Rio de Janeiro) being held in Brazil.

Notably, this is the first time the Christ the Redeemer statue has been dressed in a traditional costume from another country, making the event particularly significant. The statue wore a blue Cheollik robe symbolizing Korea's Obangsaek and the colors of the Brazilian flag. The Hanbok projected onto the statue was supported by Jinju City and was previously displayed at the Railway Culture Park Car Maintenance Depot last May. It is the same Hanbok worn by the male lead, Namkoong Min, in the drama , and was created by Lee Jinhee, a professor at Korea National University of Arts and Jinju Silk ambassador.

Image of Hanbok on the Brazilian iconic symbol Christ the Redeemer in Rio.

Additionally, the 'Light of Korea - Jinju Silk Lanterns' exhibition, which opened on June 8 at the main hall of the Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, will run from June 9 to August 25. The exhibition will showcase the beauty of Jinju, a city of cultural tourism, through a tunnel made of 1,200 Jinju silk lanterns, a three-dimensional (3D) moon sculpture, a sculpture of Jinju's tourism mascot 'Hamo,' and a Hanbok exhibition.

This exhibition is the result of close collaboration between Jinju City, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil, the City of Niteroi, and local cultural and artistic institutions from both countries. It is expected to further deepen the cultural bonds between Korea and Brazil.

Last year, the Special Exhibition of Jinju's Light held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was selected by the Sao Paulo City Tourism Department as a 'must-visit place for the weekend,' attracting a total of 112,242 visitors and being covered by local media 147 times.

At the opening ceremony, Niteroi and Jinju City pledged to sign a memorandum of understanding for continued mutual exchange, and an official from Niteroi also proposed establishing a sister city relationship. This agreement is the result of close collaboration between Jinju City and Niteroi since last year, and it is expected to further deepen cultural ties between Korea and Brazil and promote exchanges in various fields.

Vice Mayor Cha Seokho, who attended the event, said, "I am proud that Jinju's festivals, culture, and silk have become representative cultural content of Korea in South America. Judging by the response at the opening ceremony, I believe Jinju's cultural content will be well received anywhere in the world. We will continue to hold Jinju Silk exhibitions globally to help promote Korea as a culturally attractive country."