Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Affordable children's hanbok popular this Seollal
A girl tries on a hanbok at a Homeplus store in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
Inexpensive children’s hanbok (Korean traditional attire) is selling well through retail websites ahead of Korea’s lunar New Year holiday.
According to online outlet Gmarket, Wednesday, sales of children’s hanbok jumped by 259 percent from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12, compared to figures for the same period a year earlier. Products purchased range from 10,000 won to 30,000 won.
In particular, the sale of hanbok for girls jumped to almost six times last year’s figure (a 486 percent increase), and sales of hanbok for boys and babies both grew by 15 percent.
“Many affordable yet nice designs for children’s hanbok have become available, so more parents have been opting to buy them for their children as a gift for Seollal,” a Gmarket official said.
The retailer also attributed soaring sales to the warmer weather because the holiday this year is in mid-February.
A children’s hanbok set ‘Chocolate star hat hanbok,’ also came in fourth in sales for Seollal gifts on social commerce site Coupang. The price of the hanbok set ranges between 10,000 won and 30,000 won.
Three different children’s hanbok products made the top 10 ranking of popular products bought by women for the Seollal season.
“Children outgrow their clothes very soon, so many consumers opt for cheaper hanbok for traditional holidays,” a Coupang spokesperson said.