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[Korea Supporter's article] HANBOK WITH A MODERN TOUCH

DATE: 2020-08-25

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Hanbok with a modern touch (Ningwa Shama Rai).docx

Ningwa Shama Rai

Hanbok is a traditional Korean dress worn on occasions such as festivals, celebration, and ceremonies. The hanbok remains an important part of Korean history up until today. It has a very long history, stretching back to the Goguryeo Dynasty (37 BCE – 668 CE).

The traditional structure/ style of hanbok, the jeogori (jacket), baji (pants), and the chima (skirt), dates back to the Goguryeo Kingdom, and till this day the design has remained relatively unchanged. Hanbok is a very colorful garment and the colors signify social position and marital status. The upper class wore variety of colors whereas the commoners were required to wear white and for special occasions dressed in shades of pale pink, light green, gray and charcoal.

The social position of the person was also identified by the material of the garment. The upper classes had hanbok of woven ramie cloth or other high quality materials and plain patterned silks as well. The commoners were restricted to wear hanbok made of cotton.

The modern hanbok has very similar features to the hanbok of the old times but it has a modern touch to it. There are various factors that influence the modern hanbok. The bright colored hanbok has become famous among the Koreans and the tourists. K-pop has a big part in making hanbok popular all over the world as well. The fans see the idols clad in the attire and are intrigued by the traditional wear.

Recently, the famous South Korean girl group, BlackPink released their new song How You Like That, and they were clad in very modern hanbok. This has been a hot topic among the Korean and international fans. They are seen dancing in the very modern looking hanbok and by this we can see how far hanbok has come as traditional attire to having a modern touch.

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