"Hanfu Last Month, Emperor's Robe This Time?" Repeated Controversy Over Traditional Chinese Attire at Gyeongbokgung

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At Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, the sight of Chinese tourists walking around wearing traditional clothing reminiscent of a Chinese emperor has caused controversy online. Recently, a series of Chinese influencers have posted content on Chinese social media (SNS) showing themselves wearing hanfu at Gyeongbokgung, and as similar scenes have continued to appear, the cultural debate surrounding hanbok and hanfu is flaring up again.

On September 9, Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University stated, "I have received many reports from netizens," and added, "Recently at Gyeongbokgung Palace, there has been a series of sightings of Chinese tourists taking photos and videos wearing hanfu, which is traditional Chinese attire." Photos shared by Professor Seo and on social media show a man dressed in clothing reminiscent of Chinese imperial garments walking on the Woldae in front of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The Woldae in front of Gwanghwamun is a wide platform built in front of Gyeongbokgung's main gate during the Joseon era, with a central pathway (Eodo) that was reserved for the king. Damaged during the Japanese colonial period, it underwent restoration work and was reopened to the public in 2023. Professor Seo explained that, based on reports from netizens and his own research on social media, he confirmed that individuals in imperial Chinese attire were walking along the Woldae of Gwanghwamun.

He prefaces his remarks by saying that it is not inherently problematic for Chinese tourists to wear their own traditional clothing while traveling in Korea. However, he expressed concern that, because Gyeongbokgung is the most representative royal palace in Korea, photos and videos of people wearing hanfu taken there and then spread via overseas social media might cause tourists from other countries to mistakenly believe that hanfu is Korean traditional attire.

Professor Seo said, "Our hanbok and China's hanfu are clearly different garments, but foreigners may easily confuse the two as Korean traditional clothing.” He especially pointed out the issue of Chinese influencers making content featuring themselves wearing hanfu while touring Gyeongbokgung and posting it to social media. Regarding this incident, Professor Seo added, "This is not the first time something like this has happened at Gyeongbokgung," and commented, "Chinese influencers should first practice ‘global manners’—which means respecting the history and culture of other countries." He also emphasized the need to move beyond fruitless online debates over hanbok and hanfu and to proactively work to accurately inform the world about the history and characteristics of hanbok.

Meanwhile, similar controversies have erupted as recently as just one month prior. On August 20, a series of photos and videos emerged showing Chinese influencers visiting Gyeongbokgung while wearing hanfu. Some even took pictures with foreign tourists visiting the palace. At that time as well, Professor Seo remarked, "People are free to travel throughout Korea wearing their traditional attire,” yet again raised concern over the possibility of hanbok and hanfu being confused.

Just a few days later, there were also reports that numerous videos spreading the idea that "hanbok originated from China's hanfu" were circulating on the global video platform TikTok. On August 22, Professor Seo pointed out, "For several years now, some Chinese netizens have been consistently claiming online that hanbok originated from hanfu," stressing the urgent need to actively provide accurate information about hanbok abroad.

There have been cases where Hanbok and Hanfu were mixed up during the online distribution process. Last year, some domestic online shopping malls were found to display Hanfu alongside Hanbok when searching for "Hanbok," or to sell them under names such as "Chinese-style Hanbok," which sparked controversy. SNS

There have also been cases where hanbok and hanfu were mixed up during the online distribution process. Last year, it became an issue when searching for 'hanbok' on some Korean online shopping malls also brought up hanfu, or when items were sold under names such as 'Chinese-style hanbok.' The crux of the issue was not the act of selling Chinese-style clothing itself, but rather the improper labeling of products that failed to distinguish clearly between hanbok and hanfu. Following this recent "emperor’s attire" controversy, remarks made by Zhang Yuan, a Chinese-born TV personality, in 2024 are resurfacing once again.

At that time, during a live broadcast conducted in China, Zhang Yuan remarked that he wished to visit Korea and tour palaces such as Gyeongbokgung while wearing the clothes of the Ming or Song dynasty emperors, causing public outcry. In particular, he drew intense criticism within Korea by comparing his act of walking around the palace in emperor’s attire to an ‘inspection.’ Following the controversy, Zhang Yuan explained that his comments had been misunderstood and expressed his hope that private relations between China and Korea would improve.

The Korea-China debate over hanbok has also surfaced on the international stage. During the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the appearance of an ethnic Korean woman in hanbok among the performers representing China’s 56 ethnic groups sparked the 'hanbok appropriation' controversy within Korea. At the time, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared, "There is no dispute that hanbok is one of our representative cultural assets, widely recognized by the world." In contrast, the Chinese Embassy in Korea stated that the attire in question was the traditional dress of ethnic Koreans living in China.

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