Q. The club <Trunk>, which offered a new spectrum to the Itaewon club scene, has closed its doors after five years. It must be quite emotional, as it holds many fond memories. What kind of space was Trunk?

Trunk was a gay club based on disco and house, which didn't exist in the Korean scene before. The transgender owner and drag queens merged what is often called disco girl culture into the gay community, a new endeavor. It seemed like a space of vicarious satisfaction for friends who lacked courage but had a 'feminine heart'.

It was a place of good music and good people, contributing to leading the underground gay community in Korea to the next step. The reason behind concluding this five-year journey was to try new dreams in the same location and space. We are preparing a space where anyone, regardless of being gay, straight, or sexual preference, can join together.

Q. In this Knock Knock, you completed a space filled with the various life stories and metaphors of Han Mini. Please introduce Minni’s room. 

Honestly, when I first received the proposal, I entered the room without any idea of what to exhibit. Stepping into the roughly 4-pyeong room, difficult memories of adolescence flashed by. I lived in a similar-sized room from 5th grade through high school. Memories of that time when my parents divorced and I grew up chaotically under the fame of my father, the drummer of the heavy metal band 'Baekdusan', came flooding back.

It was a room with a sliding door on the lower floors. It was a space of a child pondering how to live while accepting parental discord as a given. When the Vogue magazine first came out in 1998, I excitedly flipped through it, dreaming purely of becoming a designer while watching fashion shows broadcast live on Dong-A TV. I recreated the space where I would dream while confronting my strict and intense father.

This room is an archive of the person Han Mini, my history. It’s also the completion of the beautiful story of a child who longed to wear an Alaia dress, and eventually became Alaia's muse, shooting a 7-page spread for Vogue.

This room is an archive of the person Han Mini, my history.

Q. You've enjoyed scrapbooking fashion magazines like the collages filling one corner of the Knock Knock exhibition. Who was your muse when you were young? 

I really loved the supermodels of the 90s. Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, these women swayed their chests and hips fiercely down the runway during Gianni Versace collections, and the cheering of the photographers inspired me greatly. I repeatedly practiced by thinking, 'This is what I want to do,' while watching Tyra Banks' confidence, Naomi Campbell's fierce attitude, and Beyoncé's sexiness.

When my father would come home drunk, he often broke the glass in the sliding door with drumsticks. As a young child, the only thing I could do was patch the broken windows with photo spreads from my beloved Vogue magazine.

Q. For five years, you've been a judge for Miss International Queen. You’ve also won the title. How does it feel to see your current position while reflecting on your past in this memory-decorated space?

I feel like I've been living as I imagined. When asked, 'What do you want to be?' I lived as if answering, 'I want to be this.' I think I am doing everything I want without much hardship, with fun, sophistication, and beauty. I enjoyed even the tough times. When in a pit, I aimed to be the best pit dweller, and in a garbage heap, I strived to be the best piece of rubbish. Truly.

The dynamics of Miss International Queen changed significantly before and after I won. Creating that flow is something I can confidently claim.

Q. Mini, you're always surrounded by people. Where does your warm affection and kind energy towards people come from? What does being with people mean to you?

I think it's sincerity and purity. And fun! That's all. That's why I always have friends of at least 15 years around me. Being with people is stability for me. I believe they've become a fence called family. I was better able to rely on others and become a better person thanks to a 'Chosen Family', softening my emotional deprivation. It was thanks to a friend that I participated in Miss International Queen.

When asked 'What do you want to be?', I lived as if answering, 'I want to be this.'

Q. What keywords would represent the current Han Mini, Mini Han? 

I'm just Mini Han. Mini Han itself is pride, a brand, and me. Being able to sit here at this moment and feel that is so delightful. Therefore, I am very curious about my future five, ten years from now. I think it will be really exciting.

Q. It's said you inherited your makeup skills from your mother. Your parents must have always been behind your journey to flourish into such an amazing person. Could you tell us more about them? 

My father was the one who led me into Western ideas. He always played pop songs and heavy metal. I constantly followed my father, the drummer of the heavy metal band 'Baekdusan', to performances. It's not an exaggeration to say that I opened my eyes to the nightlife while following him to nightclubs once a week. I grew up watching disco music, the smokey makeup of disco girls, their sharp heels, and mesh stockings.

My mother was a lively person who exuded the attraction a woman could bring out even in broad daylight. I remember wishing her to come to school every day because all the teachers loved it when she appeared. My mother was a doll in smoky makeup, waving hair, and low-cut clothes. She always let me roam around her department store, fabric market, and designer houses in Myeong-dong. Touching fabrics and watching sewing machines at work became my everyday life. I believe my aesthetic sense was formed from those experiences.

Q. You’ve likely witnessed various forms of beauty. How do you define beauty, Mini? 

It's naturalness. Acting as your true self seems to be the most sophisticated. Pretending to be someone else is bound to be revealed at some point. Even vulgar appearances, drunken states, and capable work show their fragrance when they’re natural.

Q. Maintaining a great figure means being consistently diligent and persistent. Could you share your secret to maintaining consistency?

To be honest, I used to be quite big and hefty. I loved eating. In school, I started aerobics as a club activity, and all the older ladies wore waist belts. I inquired for their source, bought one, and wore it continuously, later buying a corset when I saved enough money, wearing it until I was 31. When I was young, I sometimes starved and purged, trying to maintain my figure through unhealthy methods.

Since 2014, I decided to focus on finding a healthy body by steadily exercising at a personal training gym. I want to show the fantastic body, beautiful style, and dream performance that the friends coming to Trunk imagine in their minds. The desire to showcase this is probably my secret to persistence.

Acting as your true self seems to be the most sophisticated.

Pretending to be someone else is bound to be revealed at some point.

Q. Have you ever thought about who you will live with after turning forty?

I have a big dream. I hope our ‘Chosen Family’ can live in separate homes yet occasionally come together to eat and travel. I even think it might be nice to live together in one building, like a mangrove. In fact, even now, friends live close in the neighborhood I live in. Friends living five minutes away help take care of my dog, and it’s convenient.

Q. What does home mean to you, Mini?

It's a place where I can show my true self. I can fart, dress how I like, order three meals and eat, lie down and watch Netflix without a care, and release myself into nature without worrying about what anyone thinks.

Q. Did any scenes come to mind while decorating the Knock Knock room? 

Andre Kim, to be really symbolic. Koreans in their thirties have some image of Andre Kim. I wanted to be the type of woman Andre Kim fits. Fashion fantasy that only Andre Kim can provide, different from Chanel, the opulence that money can’t buy, ambiance, and mood that don't exist in the real world.

After achieving success through Trunk, when I dug through my heart's drawers, there was an Andre Kim dress. I bought the Andre Kim dress then. You can see that dress at the Knock Knock exhibition as well. This exhibition starts with my history and ends with an Andre Kim dress, forming the archive of Mini Han itself.

Q. When and where do you feel most like yourself?

I feel most like myself when I'm with friends. Although I can turn into another person when I’m not with them, with friends, I am unlearning, silly, fun, and cheerful, just as I am. We're people who enjoy a bowl of blood sausage soup after work for happiness. Even now, our motto is to sell kimbap along with wine at Minibar.

Written By | Shin Dabom

Photos | Choi More