KOREAN TRADITIONAL CLOTH

HANBOK

Hanbok means the traditional unique clothes of Korean people since long before. Hanbok is made with proper room and it makes the people who wear them feel very comfortable because Hanbok have enough space that don’t restrain the body. And a combination between straight line and curve of Hanbok, which look like to express Korean nature as it is, show beauty as well as elegancy, so renowned French daily magazine ‘Le Monde’ praised highly the Hanbok as ‘costume of wind’ with indicating plenty silhouette and waving line which are wrapping the curve of human body.

  


HISTORY OF HANBOK

Hanbok was already adjusted in the Ancient Gojoseon Dynasty according to the literature and the history of Hanbok began in earnest from the Age of Three State. The shape of Hanbok in early stages is found in Ancient Goguryeo era Muyongchong Tombs Mural, and it is recognized that the original form of Chima (skirt) and Jeogori, which are basic structure of Hanbok, are formed in this era, as both men and women wore the top with long sleeves which are equivalent to the Jeogori, trousers and Chima.

Hanbok showed the modification as the length of arms and sleeves are shortened in Goryeo Dynasty after passing Unified Silla Dynasty, it is corrected firmly as the basic structure of our clothes for the ordinary people.

Hanbok of 2,000 years of history slowly disappeared from mainstream society as the official uniform of the government had been changed to western style in 1895 and gave its position as everyday dress to western clothes through industrialization after the Japanese colonial era and the Korean War.

Types of Hanbok

Hanbok has basically separated structure of top and bottom. It can be divided to clothes for adult and kids and differentiated for season. There is also separation of formal dress and everyday dress.

Male Adults

Basic compositions of Hanbok for male adult are Baji (trousers) and Jeogori. After wearing Baji for bottom and Jeogori for top, they wore Jokki, Magoja, Durumagi (Dopo) and Gat (Gwan). The compositions for events as wedding, memorial service and funeral were also difference from them. They wore white Durumagi with Gat and wore Sang-bok for funeral. They wore Danryeong which was a uniform of officers regardless of their class at the wedding ceremony.

Female Adults

There are Chima for bottom, Jeogori for top and Magoja and Durumagi (coat) for female adults. Sometimes they wore Baeja onJeogori and they usually wore Teol-baeja in winter. They wore Hwalot or Wonsam, dress for women in the palace for wedding ceremony. In 19^th century, the length of Jeogori was extremely short, they wore Sokjeoksam and Heoritti together with Jeogori to cover their breast or armpits.

Male Kids

The everyday dresses for boys were same as those of male adults but they wore Bokgeon on the head. Hanbok for only kids is Dol-bok the first birthday. Boys wore Heoritti (belt) which a lucky bag is attached and a leopard printed Hogeon. They also wore a clothes named Obangjang Durumagi with the colour of red, yellow, blue and white which has the meaning of bless of the life of the boy.

Female Kids

Girls wore Chima, Jeogori, Baeja and Durumagi for everyday dresses and wore Gule on the head to prevent from cold weather. Girls also wore Obangjang Durumagi at their first birthday to wish their luck.