ACH뉴스레터-Meet Designer Hyunkyung Lee, Author of Thailand Stationery

Meet Designer Hyunkyung Lee, Author of Thailand Stationery

INTERVIEW

Meet Designer Hyunkyung Lee, Author of Thailand Stationery

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Please briefly introduce yourself.

Hello! I’m Lee Hyunkyung, and I currently work as a brand design director, content creator, writer, interpreter, reporter, and professor in Thailand. While working on a design project in Japan six years ago, I met my husband and ended up moving to his home country, Thailand, where I’ve since settled down.

Thailand Stationery generated quite a response not only in Korea, but also in Thailand. How would you describe the readers’ response?

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After it came out, many of my Thai friends thanked me for publishing a “valuable” book on Thai stationery, a rarely discussed topic even among Thai people. Thanks to such interest and support, I was able to receive an offer from a large publishing house in Thailand to release a translated version, which I’m currently working on with the goal of publishing it next year. Thailand Stationery has also drawn the attention of a publisher in Tokyo, Japan, the home of stationery. Thai stationery isn’t a common topic and is one that Japanese readers would find interesting, so we’re currently discussing the release of a Japanese translation as well. As someone who loves stationery, I think this will be an excellent opportunity to introduce Thailand Stationery in Japan.

Korea used to import and favor a lot of stationery from neighboring Japan. Does Thailand also actively import and export stationery to and from neighboring ASEAN countries?

In Lao PDR, which shares Thailand’s northern border, more than 70 percent of all stationery brands are from Thailand. The other 30 percent are from China, Europe, Japan, and the US. Many Laotians use writing supplies made by large Thai stationery companies such as Horse and Elephant. Lao PDR and Thailand have a lot in common in terms of language. The language spoken in Isan, the northeastern region of Thailand, is actually quite similar to Lao. When taking geographical location, language, and history into consideration, it isn’t that surprising that made-in-Thailand products are widely used in Lao PDR.

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Lastly, is there anything you’d like to say to our ASEAN Culture House Monthly readers or people interested in Thai culture?

I think that visitors to Thailand should ask themselves at least once, “How can I see Thailand from a different angle?” If you get to know Thailand through its design, art, and films, I think your experience of its culture will be more diverse. Feel free to send me any questions that you might have about Thailand. I’d be happy to help where I can. Thank you.
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Email: hanndeeday@gmail.com