Do tourists have to wear traditional hanbok?

Peixuan Gan (26), who traveled to Seoul from Malaysia, visited Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on May 19. She and her friend rented a white jeogori and light yellow skirt at a hanbok rental shop. The skirt Peixuan chose was a fusion hanbok with a layer of flower-embroidered lace. “I chose it because the color combination is beautiful,” she said, adding, “It's special because it's hard to wear in hot weather in Malaysia. It's nice to experience Korean culture."

The area in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace is crowded with tourists wearing colorful hanbok. It is easy to see a skirt with gold leaf and lace in the form of a dress. Some people choose to wear Gonryongpo, a Korean traditional robe worn by kings during the Joseon Dynasty, Durumagi by scholars, and uniforms by Satto as if they were playing roles.

However, we may not be able to see these hanbok anymore. The Korea Heritage Service (KHS, formerly the Cultural Heritage Administration) is expected to make improvements to hanbok shops around Gyeongbokgung Palace based on “traditional hanbok.” “It's time for the KHS to take the lead and correct and improve the concept of our unique hanbok,” Choi Eung-chun, the new head of the agency, said in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency. “The hanbok worn by tourists often does not match the form of actual hanbok or is of ‘unknown nationality,’” Choi said, adding that the agency is investigating the status of hanbok rental shops near the palace. Visitors who wear Hanbok get free admission to the palaces in Seoul, a benefit that Choi hinted that he might review.

Owners of hanbok rental shops near Gyeongbokgung Palace said they agreed with Choi's idea, but doubted it would be feasible.

Ms. A (61), a hanbok rental shop owner, said nine out of 10 tourists are looking for fusion hanbok. “Tourists rent hanbok to take pictures, so colorful skirts with shiny materials are popular,” she said.

Traditional hanbok, which is more difficult to manage, such as ironing, are priced around 10,000 to 15,000 won higher than fusion hanbok. “I would like to recommend traditional hanbok, but it's expensive, so I can't force people to wear it,” she said.

There is also an opinion that the change in hanbok trends should be seen as natural. “Some customers come to us because they saw the modified hanbok worn by NewJeans and Blackpink in their photo shoots, while others come to us because they watched the TV series “Korea–Khitan War” and ask if we have clothes from that era,” said Mr. B (33), the owner of another hanbok rental store. “It seems unclear how to define 'tradition.’"

What the citizens thought was different from what Choi said. It should not be overlooked that the key point of renting hanbok around the palace is to provide tourists the experience of trying on hanbok. Lee Seung-hwa (28), who lives near Gyeongbokgung Palace, said, “I haven't seen any hanbok that looks too Japanese or Chinese,” adding, "On the contrary, I think more people have tried on hanbok as fusion hanbok has become popular."

Others point out that it is important not to overly solemnize the experience of wearing hanbok, which has become a playful culture. Mr. B said, "We should avoid shaking the big frame, such as wearing durumagi but not wearing hanbok pants or wearing gat on Gonryongpo, but we think design elements can change according to fashion trends."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.