KoN, Korea‘s first gypsy violinist and active in various fields as a musical actor, painter, and model, decorated the runway in Bangkok, Thailand with a fantastic performance.

Bangkok International Fashion Week (BIFW 2024) was held from October 2nd to 6th at Siam Paragon in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. At 7 PM on the 2nd, Korean designer Lee Sang Bong’s fashion show opened the fashion week.

KoN appeared in the main opening of Lee Sang Bong‘s fashion show and played an unaccompanied violin solo for 4 minutes. After the show began, KoN appeared against the backdrop of a video of Korean paintings and freely performed an improvisational performance on the theme of ‘Arirang’ for 4 minutes, walking down the runway.

KoN, who slowly appeared on the runway while playing the G string of the violin from backstage, performed a performance that included Korea’s representative song, ‘Arirang’, as well as a mix of Korean traditional music scales and various techniques.
As befitting Korea‘s first gypsy violinist, KoN incorporated the sound of birds, one of his gypsy violin playing techniques, into the scene of cranes flying in the video, creating the feeling of a fashion show being held in nature with real birds chirping.

He also maximized the feeling of Korean traditional music by playing the violin’s pizzicato technique as if he were playing the gayageum‘s nonghyeon, strongly plucking the strings. Like the theme keyword of this Lee Sang Bong fashion show, ‘Coexistence‘, KoN also presented a new direction of coexistence by presenting Eastern music through Western instruments.

With his specialty, improvisation, he boldly displayed all his violin skills, from tranquility to passion, on the runway for 4 minutes, receiving a big applause from the audience. For this opening, KoN wore a white costume that designer Lee Sang Bong had specially prepared for KoN, and played freely on the runway, giving the impression of a Korean painting spread out on the runway.

After KoN’s opening stage, the models began walking. Actress Nam Gyu-ri, broadcaster Hong Seok-cheon, and famous Thai actors and models also made special appearances on the runway. This fashion show received great acclaim in Thailand, with reviews saying that it was a unique collection in which Lee Sang-bong, a master of the Korean fashion world, beautifully incorporated Korean culture into fashion.

In particular, to celebrate the fashion show, local VIPs and celebrities, including the new Korean Ambassador to Thailand Park Yong-min and his wife and popular Thai idol ‘DICE’, filled the show hall, making us realize the status of Korean K-culture.
Kon, who successfully completed the fashion show and the rest of his schedule in Thailand on the 2nd, returned to Korea and plans to once again devote himself to performances and exhibitions, such as the final local tour of the 2024 musical Paganini in Jinju, where he played the lead role, and his solo exhibition.



Reporter Yang Hyeong-mo hmyang0307@donga.com