The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Korean people.
The term hanbok literally means Korean clothing in South Korea and internationally, where it is the standard term for the attire. North Koreans refer to the clothes as ().Korean Culture and Information Service, 2018, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea The attire is also worn by the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Koreans living in the lands of the former Soviet Union—also retained a hanbok tradition.
The hanbok is fundamentally composed of a (top), (trousers), (skirt), and the (coat). While this core arrangement has remained consistent for a long time, its length, width, and shape have gradually changed over time.
Koreans have worn hanbok since antiquity. The earliest visual depictions of hanbok can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57 BCE to 668 CE) with roots in the ancestors of the Koreanic peoples of what is now northern Korea and Manchuria. The clothes are also depicted on tomb murals from the Goguryeo period (4th to 6th century CE), with the basic structure of the hanbok established by at least this time.The Dreams of the Living and the Hopes of the Dead-Goguryeo Tomb Murals, 2007, Ho-Tae Jeon, Seoul National University Press The ancient hanbok, like modern hanbok, consisted of a jeogori, baji, chima, and po.
Some interpretations suggest that certain elements of the hanbok, such as specific colors or patterns, were influenced by traditional folk beliefs or shamanism. For thousands of years, many Koreans have preferred white hanbok, a color considered pure and symbolizing light and the sun. In some periods, commoners () were forbidden from wearing certain colorful hanbok regularly. However, during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897) and the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945), there was also an attempt to ban white clothes and to encourage non-bleached dyed clothes, which ultimately failed.
Modern hanbok are typically patterned after the hanbok worn in the Joseon period, especially those worn by the nobility and royalty.
There is some regional variation in hanbok design between South Korea and North Korea, which arose from their relative isolation in the late 20th century. Communities of ethnic Koreans abroad, including those in China, also maintain their own hanbok traditions, all of which are rooted in the shared cultural heritage of Korea. Since the 1990s, increased cultural exchange has led to these different styles converging once again.
Nowadays, contemporary Koreans wear hanbok for formal or semi-formal occasions and for events such as weddings, festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies. In 1996, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established Hanbok Day to encourage South Korean citizens to wear the hanbok.
Etymology The term hanbok came into use relatively recently, beginning in the 1800s. It is connected with the historical context in which it appeared.
The term emerged in the late Joseon period, when the Empire of Japan and other western countries competed to place Korea under their own sphere of influence. The first known use of the term is in an 1881 document from the late Joseon period entitled ().역사 속의 우리 옷 변천사, 2009, Chonnam National University Press There, hanbok is used to distinguish Korean clothing from Japanese and Western-style clothing. Hanbok was again used in an 1895 document to distinguish between Korean and Japanese clothing. These two usages predate the Korean Empire's popularization of the use of the hanja character () to describe the Korean people.
Beginning in 1900, Korean newspapers used the hanja character in words that described Korean clothing, such as (), (), and (). Hanbok was used in a 1905 newspaper article to describe the clothing of one of the righteous armies. Other words with similar meanings, such as () and (), were concurrently used.
Since the division of Korea, South Korea has preferred the term hanbok while North Korea has preferred the term . This reflects the general trend of South Korea's preference for the term and North Korea's for .
Components and design
For women, traditional hanbok consists of the (top) and the (skirt). The ensemble is often known as . For men, hanbok consist of and loose-fitting (trousers).
There are also a variety of vests, jackets and coats on top of this ensemble. For women, there are Jangsam, Dansam, Wonsam, and more. For men, some examples are , , Danryeong-ui, Joong-chimak, Sochang-ui, Daechang-ui, etc.
Jeogori
The () is the basic upper garment of the hanbok, worn by both men and women. It covers the arms and upper part of the wearer's body.
There are various styles and types of varying in fabric, sewing technique, and shape. The basic form of a consists of gil, git, dongjeong, goreum and sleeves. Gil () is the large section of the garment on both front and back sides, and git () is a band of fabric that trims the collar. Dongjeong () is a removable white collar placed over the end of the git and is generally squared off. The goreum () are fabric-strings that tie the . Women's may have kkeutdong (), a different colored cuff placed at the end of the sleeves. Contemporary are presently designed with various lengths.
Goreum Goreum () refers to the strings that fasten clothes together.
Traditionally, there are many types of goreum. Fabric goreum was potentially used since Old Chosŏn. They were originally practical but often decorative. Silla had regulations against types of Dae (belts) and decorative goreum for each Golpoom. Southern parts of Korea, including Silla, had a colorful goreum on the front of the neck, which influenced Yayoi culture. Parts of Goguryeo style had a fabric goreum loop around the waist with a decorative ribbon to the side like a belt. Generally, thin and short ones were used on the inside and more decorative, colourful ones were used on the outside. Since the early form of the was usually wrapped across the front, the outside goreum was placed on the side of the wearer, below the underarm. Starting in Joseon dynasty, the goreum slowly moved to the front of the . In the 20th century, the goreum became the commonly known long and wide decorative ribbons on the front of the and was coined the Ot-goreum.
Danchu Danchu (buttons) can also be used as an alternative to goreum.
There are many types of danchu. One example is the maedeup-danchu which was often used to keep symmetrical collars together in the front and used for practical uses on military uniforms and court uniforms. They have long horizontal lines on either side like Manchurian buttons or look like a ball and lasso. Magoja-danchu are often big decorative metal, gems or stones buttons usually on jjokki (vest).
Chima
Chima () refers to "skirt", and is also called sang () or gun () in hanja. The underskirt, or petticoat layer, is called sokchima. Chima-malgi is the waistband that trims the top of the chima. Chima was typically made from rectangular panels that were pleated or gathered into the chima-malgi (waistband). This waistband also had goreum strings for fastening the skirt around the body. From the Goguryeo to Joseon periods, chima have been striped, pleated, patchworked, gored and decorated with uniquely Korean geumbak (gold leaf) patterns. This traditional Korean technique of stamping gold leaf with woodblocks was applied to the garments of royalty and nobility and has its origins even before the Three Kingdoms period.
Sokchima was largely made in a traditional way until the early 20th century when shoulder straps were added, later developing into a sleeveless bodice or "reformed" petticoat called eokkaeheorichima. By the mid-20th century, some outer chima also gained a sleeveless bodice, which was then covered by the .
Baji
Baji () refers to the bottom part of the men's hanbok. It is the term for "trousers" in Korean. Compared to western style pants, does not fit tightly. The roomy design is aimed at making the clothing ideal for sitting on the floor and an ethnic style that dates back to the Three Kingdoms period.
It functions as modern trousers do and the term is commonly used in Korea to refer to every kind of pants.
The baji-malgi is a waistband of the that has a long string of goreum.
can be unlined trousers, leather trousers, silk pants, or cotton pants, depending on the style of dress, sewing method, embroidery and so on.
Sokgot
Sokgot () is a collective noun for various types of traditional Korean undergarments. They were worn as part of a hanbok before the import of Western-style underwear. Women usually wore several layers of undergarments, the more layers they had the richer they were. Undergarments were considered very important, thus it happened that the quality and material of the underwear were better than that of the visible outer layers.
Deot-ot Deot-ot refers to a category of outer layers worn on top of the . There are many varieties other than the ones listed here.
Po
Po () is a generic term referring to an outer robe or overcoat. There are two general types of po, the Korean type and the Chinese type. The mainstream Korean type is a common style from the Three Kingdoms of Korea period, and it is used in the modern day.
Durumagi is a type of po that was worn for protection against the cold. It has been widely worn as an outer robe over and . It is also called jumagui, juchaui, or juui.
The word Durumagi in Korean means "closed all around." Originating from the clothing styles of northern peoples, it evolved from Korea's traditional Po (outer robe) system, which dates back to the Goguryeo Kingdom.
The Po of the Goguryeo era had a decorative seon (trim) and was fastened with a tti (belt), in accordance with the style of the time. In contrast, the later Durumagi has little difference except that it lacks the trim and is instead tied with chest goreum (ribbons).
The outer robes of the Paekche and Silla kingdoms were also similar to the Durumagi. Evidence of this can be seen in historical paintings, such as the depiction of a Paekche envoy in the Liang Dynasty's "Portraits of Periodical Offerings" and a Silla envoy in a mural of foreign envoys from the Tang Dynasty's Tomb of Li Xian. In these portraits, the envoys are wearing wide-sleeved robes that are slightly longer than a jeogori (upper jacket), indicating that all three kingdoms shared a similar style of garment.
Baeja refers to sleeveless outer garments that are worn on top of inner garments. It can be different lengths, short to long. Kwaeja is interchangeable with baeja, but Kwaeja often refers to men's clothing. The Chinese type consist of different types of po from mainland China.
Dapho
The dapho (답호; 褡護) is a short-sleeved men's outer garment, often part of military uniform or official uniform. It was adopted from the Mongol Yuan dynasty during the Goryeo period.
Bigap A sleeveless outer garment that was derived from Mongolian clothing worn during the Goryeo period.
Banbi Banbi (, lit. 'half sleeve') are a type Hanfu that originated from the Tang dynasty. Banbi refers to a variety of short-sleeved garments worn on top of inner garments, typically the Yuanling pao (Chinese: 圓領袍, 'round collar robe'). Numerous outer half-sleeved Banbi can be seen in ancient Tang-era paintings, murals, and statues.Congwen Shen 沈從文. Research on Ancient Chinese Clothing 中國古代服飾研究．Hong Kong Publishing Company, 1981 香港：商務印書館，1981
Magoja
Magoja () does not have a git, the band of fabric trimming the collar. The magoja for men sometimes has seop (, overlapped column on the front) and is longer than women's magoja, with both sides open at the bottom. A magoja can be made of silk and often adorned with danchu which are usually made from amber. In men's magoja, buttons are attached to the right side, as opposed to the left as in women's magoja.