Young Scholars' Admission Ceremony Held at Min Family House in Namsan-gol in Traditional Korean Dress

A meaningful admission ceremony took place in the heart of Seoul, where children accustomed to smartphones and fast-paced digital media properly donned the clothing of Joseon-era scholars, learned wisdom from storybooks, and took their first steps into learning.

On the 20th, about 20 children dressed in hanbok attracted the spotlight at the 'Young Scholars' Admission Ceremony' held in the courtyard of the Min family house (闔閔氏) in Gwanhun-dong at Namsan-gol Hanok Village in Seoul.

The event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, organized by the Korean Craft and Design Culture Promotion Agency, sponsored by the Korea Arts and Culture Council, and operated by Dangchomun, gained further significance as part of '2026 Hanbok Culture Week,' South Korea's representative festival where all citizens enjoy hanbok in their daily lives and experience culture.

The most notable feature of the event is that students directly wore three types of traditional clothing rarely encountered in daily life—durumagi, cheonggeumbok, and simui—and participated in the admission ceremony. The purpose is to help children realize through their ancestors' spirit of 'Uigwan Jeongje (衣冠整齊)' (proper appearance and bearing)—maintaining a well-ordered appearance to align one's mindset—that they themselves are precious and valuable beings.

Kim In-ja, Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Master Needleworker at Dangchomun who oversees and operates this admission ceremony, stated, "Through deeply researching and preparing classes on simui, I discovered the remarkable educational power of traditional clothing," and explained the background: "In light of Hanbok Culture Week, I planned this event hoping that children would encounter traditional garments more familiarly and diversely as they grow, rather than these clothes remaining confined to museums and holidays."

Particularly in the core ceremony of the admission ceremony—'Irhak-rye (first lesson)'—three children's books familiar to young children (《Paper Shoes》 by Moon Young-sook, 《Rice Concerns》 by Park Hye-seon, 《The Crooked Path》 by poet Lee Jun-gwan) are used instead of rigid textbooks, drawing attention.

While the ancient Crown Prince's admission ceremony was a solemn first lesson where the Crown Prince opened the door to learning before his Sungkyunkwan masters, this Young Scholars' Admission Ceremony will proceed as a modern lesson where new students learn proper teachings of courage (義)·love (仁)·consideration (禮) through wisdom in storybooks and take a beautiful first step on the path of learning.

The event will proceed with an 'entrance ceremony' where new students are guided by seniors, holding hands as they enter, followed by 'Soksu-rye,' where master and student exchange gifts of wisdom, 'Irhak-rye,' where teachings are learned through storybooks, and 'Chaek-geori,' where seniors share celebratory rice cakes. All new students who complete the event will be awarded a 'Young Scholar Appointment Certificate' affirming their commitment to practicing upright character, creating a memorable keepsake to last a lifetime.

An event official stated, "Through this admission ceremony held at the meaningful traditional space of Namsan-gol Hanok Village in light of the '2026 Hanbok Culture Week,' we hope children will learn the wisdom of their ancestors contained in a single garment and begin their first learning with the generous heart of a scholar who embraces and welcomes neighbors," and expressed their vision: "We will continue to expand educational programs that allow people to encounter traditional culture in various ways in their daily lives."

The event runs through the 25th.