Korean Cultural Centre to host traditional wedding in Bangkok next week

The wedding will be led by Moon Seoung-Hyun, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Thailand.

The Korean Cultural Centre had received requests from February 9 to March 15 from couples interested in having a Korean traditional wedding.

More than 30 Thai, Korean-Thai and international couples had sent requests with their own stories. In most cases, the wedding or honeymoon was cancelled due to Covid-19.

The couple of Shin Yun-sup (Korean) and Natcha (Thai) has been selected for the first traditional wedding. The 29-year-olds first met in Korea after they got to know each other through a language online site.

The couple had a registered marriage in March 2021, after Shin moved to Thailand from Australia, and now they are teaching Korean together on YouTube.

They sent a 60-page request to the Korean Cultural Centre, including their love story. The couple have been married for a year, since the marriage was registered without the ceremony due to Covid-19.

The wedding ceremony begins with the groom entering behind a Suljanggu (Korean double-headed drum) performance and lit-up candles. Upon arrival, the groom will present a wild goose to the bride’s mother. As geese were known to mate for life, this gesture is symbolic of fidelity in a Korean traditional wedding.

This is followed by the bride’s entry and the couple bow before each other. The bride and groom vow to live happily and make a promise to be each other’s better half. Then they share a cup of traditional liquor. The groom’s aide ties a red thread on her left hand and the bridesmaid ties a blue thread on her right hand. This ritual symbolises two persons from two families finally becoming one.

After the Korean ritual led by the ambassador, the couple take part in the “Rod-Naam-Sang”, which is the Thai wedding ceremony of pouring water on the couple’s hands and uttering words of blessing. Afterwards, Kim Hyun-ji, the Korean Cultural Centre's instructor and the members of Korean traditional music club in the Korean Cultural Centre sing to celebrate the couple's wedding.

The couple and family will have “Janchi-guksu” (banquet noodles), sponsored by Korean restaurant “Myung-Ga”, with blessings for a long, happy married life.

Cho Jae-il, the director of the Korean Cultural Centre said, "The centre supports the wedding ceremony of the Korean-Thai couple to promote the beauty of Korean traditional culture and Hanbok together."

The Korean Cultural Centre will hold the traditional wedding and Doljabi (baby's first birthday party) on a regular basis. 

Meanwhile, the exhibition “Hanbok in K-series”, which opened on February 14 continues until April 29. The centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm.