[Sportschosun reporter Yoon-sun Jo] Hanbok designer Park Sul-nyeo revealed how she personally made the burial clothes for the late Lee Soon-jae and Kim Soo-mi, with whom she had shared a close relationship during their lifetimes, and saw them off on their final journeys.
On the 11th, a video titled “I’d Like to Say a Few Words About Burial Clothes” was posted on the YouTube channel “Park Sul-nyeo Hanbok.” In the video, Park Sul-nyeo opened up about making the burial clothes for the late Lee Soon-jae and Kim Soo-mi herself.
Recalling Lee Soon-jae first, Park Sul-nyeo said, “He was such a wonderful person. Even when he came to Cheongdam-dong for filming, he accommodated everything we wanted.”
She continued, “That was when I understood why he had been loved for so long. He was truly an extraordinary and gentle person, as well as a genuine elder,” paying tribute to the late actor.
Park Sul-nyeo said she prepared Lee Soon-jae’s burial clothes in advance after hearing that his health had deteriorated. “I thought that when the teacher passed away, I wanted to make his burial clothes myself,” she said. “I happened to speak with his wife on the phone to ask how she was doing, and when I heard that his health was not good, I began preparing them.”
She added, “I didn’t make them thinking they would be exclusively burial clothes. I thought I should make silk pants, a silk jacket and a vest so that, if he recovered, he could wear them in everyday life as well.”
She also looked back on her relationship with the late Kim Soo-mi. Park Sul-nyeo expressed her longing, saying, “She often encouraged me after seeing how hard I worked.”
Kim Soo-mi also chose Park Sul-nyeo’s hanbok for the wedding of her son, Jung Myung-ho, and daughter-in-law, Seo Hyo-rim. When Park Sul-nyeo offered to make hanbok as a wedding gift, Kim Soo-mi reportedly firmly declined.
Park Sul-nyeo recalled, “I told her I simply wanted to make it for her because it was her beloved son’s wedding, but she said one should not accept something for free for a personal celebration. She either sent the money to my account or came in person to pay by card.”
She prepared Kim Soo-mi’s burial clothes after assessing her health at a filming location. Park Sul-nyeo said, “When we were filming in Toechon, I could get a sense of her condition. Seeing her take breaks between scenes, I told our deputy director, ‘I hope we can prepare the teacher’s burial clothes,’ and we did.”
She continued, “After she passed away, I paid my respects to her, spoke with her son and daughter-in-law, packed the burial clothes and delivered them. She was dressed in them and sent off the next day.”
Kim Soo-mi’s final outfit reflected the bright and colorful image she had shown during her lifetime. Park Sul-nyeo explained, “She wore bright colors often while she was alive, so I thought pink would be right for her final journey to heaven, since soft colors would suit her well.”
She carefully prepared a pink skirt and jacket, an ivory-colored quilt, colorful underpants, an onang—a traditional pouch for holding the deceased’s fingernails and toenails—and a jobawi, a traditional Korean women’s winter hat made of black silk with pink tassels, to see her off on her final journey.
“We dressed her in those clothes and sent her to heaven,” Park Sul-nyeo said, expressing her longing for both late actors.
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
