Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Hanbok trend draws mixed responses
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/ Courtesy of Today Hanbok
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Modernized Hanbok has caught on, but not everyone is welcoming it.
Kim Ae-ran, 30, who likes to wear modern styles of the traditional costume, said people did not always approve of her outfits.
“I often wear modernized Hanbok, which has a shorter skirt than the traditional one, but some elderly people say it isn’t appropriate,” Kim said.
She said many people had a narrow definition of tradition and that this view needed to bed broadened.
“Tradition can develop over time, and I think the recent trend of modernizing Hanbok is a good chance for young people to develop and use the traditions in their own way,” she said
The trend is also catching on among Koreans traveling abroad.
More people are choosing to wear the traditional costume when they travel abroad. Online posts showing pictures of Koreans in traditional clothes in foreign countries have drawn positive and negative responses.
“I see many foreigners wearing traditional costumes of their country in Korea,” said a netizen with the ID: bumbl***e. “ When I saw a foreign woman in a chador on the street, I thought she looked good. What you wear is entirely an individual’s choice.”
Others were more skeptical, especially about travelers wearing more modernized styles of Hanbok.
“Modernized Hanbok is appealing but might not be so effective in promoting Korea, because it looks different from the traditional costume,” said a blogger with the ID: lukt***n.
“Foreigners who have not seen Hanbok before would not be able to tell what the modernized outfits represent.”