The Korean Hanbok is such a traditional piece

I think you know that the traditional dress in South Korea is the hanbok (한복), which simply means "Korean dress". Why only in South Korea and not in Korea? Because the name is not the same in North Korea! Indeed, in the Northern division of the country, this garment is referred to as joseonot (조선옷), which means "Joseon garment", in reference to the Joseon era, the historical period of the peninsula. The two garments are different only in name; indeed, they are totally identical as far as the rest is concerned.

Where does the Korean Hanbok come from ?

The origin of the hanbok goes back a long way in history, between 58 BC and 668 AD (I told you it goes back). This historical period is referred to as the Three Kingdoms period, including the kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje, respectively located in the North, Southeast and Southwest of the Korean peninsula. This garment would have been introduced by the Scytho-Siberian nomads.

The hanbok will undergo some evolutions and changes in the way it is worn, but the basic traditional garment was either jeogori and chima for women or jeogori and bakji for men.

• The jeogori simply consists of the jacket, normally long and tied at the waist on the right side.

• The chima is the long full skirt that women associated with the jeogori, and the bakji is the full pants that men wore. Sometimes women wore the bakji under their skirts.

The Korean Hanbok in a new light

As said earlier, the hanbok knows evolutions in its appearance or the way to wear it. This is due to the different conquests between the three kingdoms of the time:
- first of all, that of the kingdom of Silla which seized the two other kingdoms with the help of the Chinese Tang and which will exercise its authority from the year 668 to the year 918. The Chinese and Korean cultures mixing, that will influence the way of wearing the traditional Korean clothing; the chima will be then more worn over the jeogori (the skirt over the jacket for those who follow hehe), as did the Tang.

- then that of the Goryeo dynasty coming to power, following the fall of Silla, from the year 918 to the year 1392. New relations with another people, the Mongolian Yuan dynasty, were established while those with the Tang gradually faded.
As under Silla, the Koreans will be influenced by their allies; the jeogori will then be shortened and will not be, of this fact, attached to the size. For the chima, it will adopt the shape that we know today: still as long, it will be worn with a high waist and will be tied with a ribbon under the jeogori which has become shorter, at chest level. Some aspects of the outfit are however recovered from the Three Kingdoms period, like the fact of wearing the jeogori over the chima or the bakji (at the same time, there is hardly any choice since it has been shortened).

It is during the Joseon era (1392-1910) that the hanbok will adopt the appearance we know today. More sober than its previous forms, the hanbok will also be less accompanied by accessories, contrary to the periods under Chinese and Mongolian influence. Indeed, women, who used to be more flirtatious, associated this time only an ornamental pendant (noligae) to their outfit, with a ribbon (daenggi) in the hair or spikes (bin-yeo) to maintain their traditional bun (dwikkoji). The noligae is a bow decorated with semi-precious stones and tied in front of the hanbok.

Our Korean Hanbok collection is the place to be

Korean Lovers, this collections is 100% for you ! Korean Style Shop offer you a large selection of traditional Hanbok. We decided to classified them by 3 different collection.

• The Korean Hanbok for kids

• The Korean Hanbok for Women

• And the Korean Hanbok for Men

Hanbok Modern Suit

Description of the Man Hanbok Outfit

Features of the Hanbok Modern Suit