Busan, South Korea – The city of Busan and online fashion platform Musinsa have unveiled a heartwarming photo shoot titled “Hip Busan,” featuring a group of vibrant senior citizens, in celebration of Parents’ Day today. The project, capturing the theme “Youth of Today,” features five senior residents whose stories of perseverance and style are setting new standards for what it means to embrace life at any age.
The “Hip Busan” event began as a campaign to collect stories from residents over the age of 60, focusing on their lives and experiences in Busan. After receiving stories from March 25 to April 4 under the theme “The Story of My Dear Person and Busan,” the city selected five individuals from a competitive pool of applicants—a testament to the community’s enthusiasm and the poignant resonance of the initiative.
Selected through a rigorous competitive process, the participants include:
- Jeong Kyung-jin, a lifetime mariner, celebrated for his dedicated maritime career.
- Hwang Won-tae, a pharmacist who spends his free time as a volunteer, sharing joy through medicine and song.
- Song Gap-sun, a childcare provider who is finally realizing her modeling dreams.
- Yoon Ki-ho, who embodies the “youth of today” by living each day to the fullest.
- Lee Ju-won, who has spent 45 years mastering the craft of tailoring and now dreams alongside his son.
The makeover session tailored each individual’s look from head to toe, considering personal styles and preferences. The results were remarkable, providing participants with a fresh and modern look, some experiencing makeup and fashion styling for the first time since their wedding day, decades ago.
The backgrounds chosen for the photo shoot were as symbolic as they were aesthetic, incorporating the daily lives and workplaces of the participants. Locations included a small curtain shop in Dong-gu, a singing pharmacist’s pharmacy in Yeongdo-gu, a quaint jetty reflecting the life of a mariner, and a rejuvenated factory space in Sasang-gu, showing Busan’s mix of traditional and modern landscapes.
Following today’s photo release, Busan city plans to sequentially unveil individual photo card news and videos capturing the participants’ reflections on the experience. The entire process, documented and shared on official social media and Busan’s YouTube channel “BusanTube,” plans to foster a deeper connection with residents and showcase the city’s community-focused initiatives.
The spokesperson for the city, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to record the “youth of today” for the senior participants and their families. He emphasized the city’s ongoing commitment to creating content that resonates with and includes its citizens, reinforcing Busan’s reputation as a city worth being reborn in.
