Traditional White Costume of Korea

My husband, Gary, and I spent much of this rainy, dreary weekend catching up on our DVR queue. By last night we had finally caught up to the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. It was a beautiful ceremony of peace, tradition, and a look toward the future. I was particularly taken with the traditional white costumes of Korea and wanted to learn more. So, this morning, I've done a little research. Here is what I found.

The Snow Queen

The South Korean traditional costume is called Hanbok. In North Korea, it is called Joseon-oth. Both are worn for semi-formal and formal occasions such as traditional festivals and celebrations. In South Korea they even celebrate Hanbok Day to encourage people to wear the traditional costume. According to wikipedia, Hanbok was, "Worn daily up until just 100 years ago."

The Queen's Court

Historically, commoners wore white and were called the white-clad people. Royalty and the upper class were permitted to wear more colorful attire. Today, white is worn for weddings, celebrations, and funerals. It would be unthinkable for a Korean bride to wear any color but white. White is considered a color of purity and innocence. It is worn at funerals to celebrate the journey to the afterlife. White is also considered the color of patriotism and peace. 

Wedding Dress

Traditional bell-shaped hanbok

The hanbok looks especially graceful in motion. The jacket fits closer to the body than the full skirt, giving the appearance the wearer is floating on air. 

Miss Korea floating on air

For the 2018 Winter Olympics, the entire team was outfitted in white. In part this was to celebrate the snowflake theme, but mostly to emphasize peace and patriotism, uniting North and South Korea for now.

Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides. 

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