"Easy for Foreigners to Be Misled"... Blatant Chinese Claims 'Hanbok = Hanfu' Now at a Serious Level

Professor Seo: "We Must Also Strengthen Global Promotion of Hanbok"

Professor Seo Kyoungduk of Sungshin Women's University pointed out that many videos have been uploaded to the video platform TikTok claiming that hanbok, Korea's traditional clothing, originated from China's traditional attire known as "hanfu" (漢服).

Foreign tourists dressed in hanbok are walking along Seochon Street near Gyeongbokgung Palace while sightseeing in Seoul. Photo by Jo Jongjun

On the 22nd, through his social media, Professor Seo criticized these claims as being "seriously problematic." He explained, "Hanbok appears even in Goguryeo murals and is a two-piece outfit with separate upper and lower garments, whereas hanfu is a one-piece outfit, making them clearly different."

Professor Seo added, "Even the globally authoritative Oxford English Dictionary (OED) introduces hanbok as 'traditional Korean clothing'," and continued, "However, over the past few years, some Chinese internet users have persistently promoted a 'cultural project' online, arguing that hanbok originated from Chinese hanfu. Furthermore, China's leading portal site Baidu Encyclopedia has introduced hanbok as an ethnic Korean costume, which caused major controversy."

He said, "As the Korean Wave spreads globally, items like hanbok and gat are receiving worldwide attention, and these behaviors can be seen as acts rooted in 'cultural inferiority.'" He emphasized, "Rather than only criticizing China's distortion of culture, we ourselves need to pay greater attention to hanbok and actively promote it around the world."

A Chinese influencer is taking photos with foreign tourists at Gyeongbokgung Palace. Photo captured from Professor Seokyoungduk's Instagram (@seokyoungduk).

Previously, on the 20th, controversy also arose when Chinese influencers wearing hanfu visited major tourist attractions in Seoul such as Gyeongbokgung Palace and posted photos and videos on social media. At that time, Professor Seo pointed out the possibility that foreign tourists might be confused, reiterating that hanbok and hanfu are different forms of attire. Professor Seo stated, "This has occurred at Gyeongbokgung Palace more than once," and stressed, "Chinese influencers should cultivate the global manners to first respect the history and culture of other countries."

In addition, in December last year, there were numerous cases of "hanfu" items being sold on Amazon using "hanbok" as a product search keyword. The sellers in question were suspected to be Chinese companies.

Meanwhile, according to the paper "A Study on the Analysis of Differences Between Hanbok and Hanfu," hanbok is characterized as a two-piece outfit consisting of a skirt and jeogori, with multiple layers of pants and undergarments worn underneath to create a voluminous, bell-shaped silhouette. In contrast, hanfu is a one-piece wrap-around garment with a slim silhouette. It is often worn by wrapping one or two pieces around the body, giving it a straight shape that emphasizes the body's curves.

There is also a difference in the fabrics used. To achieve its voluminous look, hanbok traditionally used relatively stiff or high-density materials such as Shandong silk, fine ramie, or thickly woven fabric. Hanfu mainly utilized thinner, loosely woven Chinese silk plain weave materials with excellent drape, allowing the fabric to flow naturally.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.