Hanbok expo highlights shift toward everyday wear

Visitors browse accessories at the 2026 Hanbok Expo at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

By Pyo Kyung-min

• Published Aug 14, 2026 5:19 PM KST

9th edition runs through Sunday at DDP with 149 businesses, Gwangjang Market exhibition

Rolls of silk in deep blue, pale jade and translucent pink covered one corner of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) on Friday, as merchants unspooled the fabric across their tables and walked visitors through the differences in weight and weave.

A few steps away hung cropped tweed jackets, button-front skirts, jeans, mini bags and jewelry, all of them drawing inspiration from hanbok, or traditional Korean clothing. None of the items seemed designed for the weddings and holiday gatherings closely associated with wearing hanbok in the modern era.

The 2026 Hanbok Expo opened Thursday at DDP Art Hall in central Seoul for a four-day run through Sunday. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, the ninth edition has drawn 149 hanbok businesses and institutions.

The timing is deliberate. "Hanbok saenghwal," meaning "hanbok lifestyle," was designated a National Intangible Heritage in July 2022, and a campaign backed by the ministry is now working toward a UNESCO's Intangible Heritage listing by 2030. A booth near the exit collects visitor signatures for the bid.

Once on the busy floor of the expo, it is clear that hanbok are not being treated just something to admire from a distance or wear for special occasions.

A steady number of visitors arrived wearing their own hanbok, showing up in dresses, jackets and separates that departed sharply from traditional forms while keeping the silhouette, accessories, or other elements that help instantly identify the origins.

Inside the sales hall, shoppers pulled garments off racks, held them up against themselves and compared colors, much as they would at any fashion market.

"I wouldn't normally have a reason to buy a hanbok piece, but some of these don't feel difficult to wear at all," Cho, a visitor in her 50s, said while browsing through accessories with her daughter. "A small traditional touch can make something feel more fashionable nowadays."

Hanbok in small doses

The trend to incorporate hanbok elements in everyday clothing is turning into big business. For the first time, organizers are running a matchmaking session to pair participating companies with distributors and buyers from Korea and abroad.

The expo's centerpiece exhibition looks at Gwangjang Market's roughly 120-year-old hanbok fabric market and the network of merchants and craftspeople whose work is behind each traditional outfit made there. Six textile businesses from the market are also selling on site, so visitors can handle the silks themselves, compare textures and learn how a bolt of fabric is embroidered and sewn to become a wearable garment.

Shoppers who want an element of the traditional dress without committing to a full outfit also have options.

Meteor Jangsingu's hair ornaments, drawn from the traditional "daenggi" ribbon, work with long hair and ordinary clothes. Mimidar applies Goryeo-era celadon ceramic motifs to tumblers and parasols. RIU & VIU reworks traditional embroidered "flower shoes", or "kkotsin," as contemporary stilettos.

"Hanbok is a representative cultural asset that holds the beauty of our traditional culture, and is an important part of K-culture that people around the world can enjoy together," said Jeong Hyang-mi, director-general of culture and arts policy at the ministry, adding that the expo should also help hanbok businesses meet distributors at home and abroad.

Admission is 5,000 won ($4) at the door, and free for anyone who turns up in hanbok. The hall runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday and closes at 6 p.m. on Sunday.