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Audio description – Hallyu!

Hear audio description and exhibition labels for key objects from the Hallyu! The Korean Wave exhibition. For visitors with additional vision needs.

A white mannequin positioned in one of PSY's signature horseriding dance moves. It wears a light pink suit blazer with wide black lapels over a black open collared dress shirt with and around the neck hangs a loose /untied white beaded bowtie. A cardboard mask is attached to the mannequin's face to represent PSY's face. It is featureless save for his slick, black hair style and signature dark sunglasses. THe ensemble is completed with a pair of black trousers and black and white loafers covered with silver studs.
Light pink suit from ‘Gangnam Style’ video, 2012 DSQUARED2. Courtesy of P-Nation

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

1. Light pink suit from ‘Gangnam Style’ video

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00:00 / 1:28
A colour lithograph titled Ancient Korean Pavillion, Chosen Hotel. It was issued by the Government Railways of Chosen in around 1920.
Poster for Chosen Hotel, about 1920, Shigen Shimotori. V&A: E.38-1951

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

2. Poster for Chosen Hotel

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00:00 / 1:19
This poster is a promotional image for the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. The central figure is a cheerful cartoon of a tiger, coloured in orange with black stripes, a white stomach and a friendly smile. The tiger is wearing a traditional Korean hat called a sangmo, and its right paw is raised in a peace sign. Around the tiger's neck are Olympic medals with a blue and red ribbon. The background features a radiant blue, with a pattern of rays and circular gradients.
Hodori poster, Seoul Olympic Games, 1988 (printed), Kim Hyun. V&A: E.358-2006

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

3. Hodori poster, Seoul Olympic Games

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00:00 / 2:04
A machine printed leaflet in blue ink on paper. The imagery is divided into two halves. The top half consists of a decorative border within which appears the UN logo flanked by a peace dove and an erhu or Chinese violin. A row of Chinese characters sits above the words SAFE CONDUCT PASS and below that three columns on different text. The central column reads: SOLDIERS OF THE UN FORCES: This certificate guarantees good transport to any enemy soldier desiring to cease fighting. Take this man to your nearest officer and treat him as an honourable prisoner of war. It is signed MATTHEW B. RIDGWAY General, US Army, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command.
South Korean Safe Conduct Pass, signed by Lieutenant General Ridgway, 1950–53, Distributed by the United Nations Command. V&A: FE.53-2023

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

4. South Korean Safe Conduct Pass, signed by Lieutenant General Ridgway

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00:00 / 1:48
This is a full-size mannequin figure made of fibreglass wearing a green tracksuit and tee shirt, the iconic costume from the Korean series Squid Game. The tracksuit consists of a dark free zip-up jacket, unzipped, and matching tracksuit pants with white side stripes running the length of the arms and the legs. Beneath the tracksuit jacket is a white T-shirt emblazoned with number 6. This number (6) is repeated in a white box on the left side of the jacket. The tracksuit and T-shirt are slightly oversized, paired with plain white sneakers.
Green tracksuit from Squid Game, 2022, Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk, Costume designer: Jo Sang-kyung. Courtesy of Netflix

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

5. Green tracksuit from Squid Game

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00:00 / 1:28
A large piece piece of needlework depicting an elaborate three tiered chandelier, illuminated but laying on its side, not suspended. The background is a field pitch black on which the image of a chandelier is constructed with long stitches of fine, golden coloured thread.
What You See Is the Unseen, Chandeliers for Five Cities SR 01-03 series, 2016–17, Kyungah Ham. Courtesy of the artist and Kukje Gallery

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

6. What You See Is the Unseen
Chandeliers for Five Cities SR 01-03 series

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00:00 / 1:38
This is a standard umbrella whose interior canopy is decorated with collage-style photo prints from the 'Winter Sonata' TV series. Each of the eight segments deatures a different still image or portrait of a main character, mainly the leads Joon-sang (Bae Yong-joon) and Yoo-jin (Choi Ji-woo), in romantic embraces or emotional moments. The colour is sepia toned, with warm brown, biege, soft pink and grey hues, and overall the look is muted, wintry, romantic and melancholic. The outer edge of the umbrella is bordered with a filmstrip motif.
Fan umbrella, 2005

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

7. Fan umbrella

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00:00 / 1:57
A black torso features a wig on the head. The wig is characterised by a central part and straight, longish hair, which is shaggy and falls below the ears but above the shoulders. The overgrown, unkempt style falls straight over the face and over the ears of the mannequin head.
Wig worn by Choi Min-sik in Oldboy, 2002, make-up and hair director: Song Jong-hee. Lent by Song Jong-hee

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

8. Wig worn by Choi Min-sik in Oldboy

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A reproduced black and white image of filmmakers protesting the direct distribution of foreign films, outside and in a public space on 1 December 1990. A large group of individuals stand at the front holding a long protest banner. with Korean text They are tightly packed, and appear to be shouting slogans. One man faces the crowd, recording the protest. In the background, tall buildings are adorned with large movie posters.
Filmmakers protesting the direct distribution of foreign films, 1 December 1990, Park Yong-su. Reproduced photograph, Park Yong-su, Korea Democracy Foundation

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

9. Filmmakers protesting the direct distribution of foreign films

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Film still of the bathroom set in the film Parasite. The bathroom is small and cramped, packed with an assortment of household items, and a toilet is raised on a platform. Two related characters, Kim Ki-jung (Jessica) and Kim Ki-woon (Kevin) are perched close together on the platform, holding out mobile phones, seeking wifi from a neighbour's property. The tiles are stained and aged, appearing neglecte and unhygienic. The scene is cramped, claustrophobic, dingy.
Bathroom scene still, Parasite, 2018, Director: Bong Joon-ho. CJ ENM/Barunson

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

10. Upstairs, downstairs: Parasite

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00:00 / 1:53
This album cover for Seo Taiji and Boys' self-titled debut album 'Seo Taiji and Boys' (1992) is in a black and white, with a gritty 90s urban look. On the cover are the three members of Seo Taiji and Boys, posing in a narrow industrial alleyway. They are casually leaning against ductwork, conveying a 'Street' attitude. They are dressed in dark, edgy 90s fashion, with sunglasses and leather jackets. The name of the group, Seo Taiji and Boys, is displayed in a graffiti-like scrawl in the upper left of the record cover, with three letters marked out in yellow, blue and red. Additional Korean text is at the bottom spelling out the name of the group.
Record sleeve for Seo Taiji and Boys, 1992, Seo Taiji and Boys. Techno Mix Studio

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

11. Record sleeve for Seo Taiji and Boys

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1964 LP cover by the artist Lee Mee-ja, wearing a pale pink hanbok, smiling and gesturing towards a camelia flower. Beside her is a man in a pale grey suit with a yellow tie. In the centre background is a camelia tree with blossoms of red, pink and white. Behind this is a landscape of distant mountains and clouds. At the top is Korean lettering, translating to 'Camelia Lady' and below this is yellow text for the name of the singer, Lee Mee-ja. The overall aesthetic is airbrushed, romantic and idealised.
Record sleeve of ‘Camellia Lady’, 1964, Lee Mi-ja. Jigu Record

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

12. Trot — the original K-pop

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The poster features three women with wide, beaming smiles, standing in confident poses in a row, wearing matching sleeveless, tightfitting, floor-length black dresses with a high slit on one side, high necks and a white trim of rhonestones. They have matching hairstyles, of high, beehive hairdos, and heavy eye make up, both characteristic of 1960s fashion. The two flanking women are holding standing electric guitars, the left in a baby blue and the right in a white; the central figure wears a long fur stole draping down over her right shoulder and reaching past her knees; another fur stole has been tossed to the ground. The background is a soft green background, close to a duck egg blue.
Advert featuring the Kim Sisters, 1967, National Guitars

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

13. Advert featuring the Kim Sisters

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Four futuristic costumes worn by Aespa. The colour scheme is white and silverwith irridescent accents; the waists are high, revealing midriffs with cropped tops. The costumes from left to right were worn by the different actors of the band, Giselle, Ningning, Winer, Karina.
Ensembles worn by aespa, 2021, Music video for ‘Next Level’, Visual director: Soo-Man Lee

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

14. Ensembles worn by aespa

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The suit designed by Balko Kim fuses traditional Korean elements with a retro western look. The narrow, well-fitting white suit is covered in black Hangul (Korean alphabet) characters in a hand-drawn style. The lapels feature fluorescent neon pink and green tartan. The shoulders are defined with shoulderpads. The pants are in an identical white fabric printed with hand painted black hangul. The narrow ankle boots are rainbow coloured. The dress is an asymmetrical, layered construction. The bodice is fitted and ties round the neck in a halter. The bodice transitions through an upside down V shape into a voluminous, open-fronted mini skirt; the back of the skirt and its sides feature a draping, floor length skirt. The fabric is a mix of hot pnink, black and red, featuring an overpainting of calligraphy.
Left: ‘K-POP!! K-PUNK!!’ dress, 2022, Balko Kim. V&A: FE.407, 408-2022
Right: ‘K-POP!! K-PUNK!!’ jumpsuit, 2022, Balko Kim. V&A: FE.696, 697-2022

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

15. K-pop garments as personal expression

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These gyeongdae are ornately crafted, using lacquered wood with abalone shell inlay and brass fittings. They feature floral and bird motifs and geometric designs. Small internal draws are visible, as are handles.
Left: Gyeongdae in lacquered wood with shell inlay and brass fittings,1900–50. V&A: FE.54-1991
Right: Gyeongdae in zelkova wood veneer with brass fittings, 1850–1900. V&A: M.399-1912

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

16. Gyeongdae (vanity boxes)

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00:00 / 1:41
A circular shaped mask in a shiny light grey plastic, with a metallic eye strip and a single cord which ends in a long spiral. The mask is placed on a mannequin' torso head, which it wraps around, fully concealing the face, with a slight overhang over the chin.
Pra.L LED light mask, launched 2019, LG. Given by LG Corp, V&A: FE.350-2022

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

17. Pra.L LED light mask

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Yellow and pink gown placed onto a standing, full length mannequin. The strapless yellow bandeau balloons into tubular, puffed arm bands; and two pink puffs dropping at the waist. The yellow bandau is cinched at the waist and moves down into a long, narrow yellow skirt, which balloons out below the knees in two large, concentric, circular pink puffs. Around the throat is a large yellow bow, tied at the back. The dress draws its inspiration from flowers, notably the blooming petals of a peony. The silhouette of the dress resembles a flower in bloom.
‘Peony’ gown, 2020, Park Sohee for Miss Sohee, ‘The Girl in Full Bloom’ fall/winter collection. Given by Park Sohee, V&A: FE.373 to 379-2022

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

18. ‘Peony’ gown

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A standing mannequin, over which is placed an untucked, colllar-less lilac shirt, buttoned to the top. Over this is a looser white shirt, known as a jegori, and over this is a long blue outer layer known as a dapho. Long, loose brown pants.
Silk dapho and jeogori, worn by RM from BTS, 2020, Cho Jin-woo for Baek Oak Soo. Lent by Baek Oak Soo

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

19. Hybrid hanbok looks

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00:00 / 1:27
Saekdong jeogori, crafted from green-hued silk with a saekdong, a sleeve adorned with multiple-colored patchwork, designed by Lee Young-hee, 1980s A fully extended jacket, with thick, vertical stripes in an array of colours.
Saekdong Jeogori, 1980–89, Lee Young-hee. V&A: FE.414-2022

HALLYU! 12 Dec 2025

20. Saekdong Jeogori (multicoloured striped jacket)

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00:00 / 1:41
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A man in a hooded pink tracksuit, with a black face mask with a white triangle symbol on the forehead, stands amid a field of people, some wearing green tracksuits, unmasked, and others wearing black face masks and pink tracksuits.

Hallyu exhibition

HALLYU!

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