Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Online sellers criticized for promoting Chinese attire as hanbok ahead of Chuseok
A screen grab from a major online retailer shows Chinese hanfu appearing in the results of a search for "hanbok," Wednesday. Courtesy of Seo Kyoung-duk
By Lee Hae-rin
Controversy is growing in Korea after it emerged that several online retailers have been marketing Chinese traditional garments, known as hanfu, as “Chinese-style hanbok” ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
The issue came to light after professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University voiced concerns on social media, revealing that searches for “hanbok” on major platforms yield numerous products marked as “Chinese-style hanbok” and related items.
Seo said the mislabeling conflates Korean hanbok with Chinese hanfu, denouncing it as “absurd” and an affront to Korea’s cultural heritage.
Angry online users quickly joined the conversation, asserting their criticism was not about banning sales of Chinese garments, but about demanding clear distinction between hanbok and hanfu in product listings.
“The two garments carry distinct traditions and have significant differences, and must be labeled accurately,” one observer argued.
Hanbok and hanfu, while both Asian traditional clothing, originate from different historical and cultural contexts and are distinct in style.
Hanbok, developed over centuries in Korea, features a short jacket and wide skirt to create a voluminous silhouette. Hanfu, meanwhile, consists of flowing robes with straight lines designed to fit the contours of the body and traces back to the Han Chinese civilization.
The online platforms at the center of the scandal have defended themselves by claiming they merely provide marketplaces for third-party sellers. However, experts argue that given sensitivities about the Korean wave and traditional culture, these sites have a responsibility to monitor product descriptions more rigorously.
The controversy is further inflamed by previous episodes in which some Chinese internet users and websites insisted that hanbok is derived from hanfu. Popular Chinese portal Baidu described hanbok as “Joseonjok costume,” referring to ethnic Koreans living in China, and Chinese electronics firm Xiaomi featured wallpaper downloads for its smartphones that labeled hanbok as “Chinese culture," sparking fierce backlash in Korea.
Seo emphasized that, along with global efforts to elevate hanbok’s profile, correcting misrepresentations domestically is vital.
“Rapid corrective measures by Korean online malls are urgently needed to protect our tradition,” he said.