Actress Kim Tae-ri wears a newly-designed hanbok from this year's ″Hanbok Wave″ project / Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Welcoming the new year with a showcase of Korea's traditional hanbok attire, celebrities have used their influence to promote the cultural heritage through global photoshoot initiatives.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in partnership with the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, released a photoshoot, Wednesday, featuring actress Kim Tae-ri in intricately designed hanbok. The photoshoot is part of this year's "Hanbok Wave," an initiative aimed at blending Korea's traditional clothing with hallyu — or the Korean wave — to boost its appeal abroad.

Since its launch in 2020, the Hanbok Wave campaign has paired top Korean talent with leading hanbok designers to promote the garments internationally. Actress Suzy and former figure skater Kim Yuna previously lent their star power to the campaign. Suzy participated in 2023, while Kim Yuna took part in 2022.

This year's project enlisted four contemporary designers — Leesle, Sheen:Seoul, OUWR, and HYEON — known for their fresh takes on hanbok.

Actress Kim Tae-ri wears a newly-designed hanbok from this year's ″Hanbok Wave″ project. Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The campaign also includes a video of Kim in hanbok, set to light up New York City's Times Square on Christmas Eve. Across the Atlantic, the images will be displayed on a large billboard at Citadium Caumartin in Paris for a week starting on Monday.

In Korea, the photos will appear on the K-Culture Screen at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul's Jongno District through the end of the year. The photoshoot will also be featured in Marie Claire Korea.

The focus on hanbok continued with Vogue Korea, which released photos on Wednesday of K-pop group NewJeans dressed in custom-designed hanbok. The collection reportedly includes designs by Miss Sohee, a Korean designer known for past collaborations, including the 2022 music video, "Pink Venom," by girl group BLACKPINK.

Notably, the Vogue photoshoot made a deliberate choice to omit the group's name, instead featuring only the individual members' names in their captions. In addition, it was revealed that the project was visually directed by Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of Ador, who had stepped down from her position last November.

Five members of K-pop girl group NewJeans wear modern-style hanbok in Vogue Korea's new year photoshoot. Courtesy of Vogue Korea

This comes at a time when the group is navigating a turbulent period, as the five members have pursued independent activities following a dispute over their contracts with Ador. The members have since refrained from using the name "NewJeans," signaling their intention to sever ties entirely with the agency and its parent company, HYBE Labels.

On Dec. 14, the members launched a new Instagram account (@jeanzforfree), where they shared images from the hanbok photoshoot. Notably, the images were absent from Ador's official channels, also reflecting a shift in their public presence.

Ador has since filed a lawsuit seeking confirmation of the validity of the members' contracts, escalating the ongoing legal battle.