▲ Korean hanbok being sold disguised as Chinese hanfu on AliExpress
Controversy has erupted once again as traditional Korean hanbok is being sold on AliExpress, a major Chinese e-commerce platform, disguised as traditional Chinese hanfu.
Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University pointed out this issue via his social media today (Nov. 6), emphasizing that Korea's hanbok and China's hanfu are distinctly different garments.
Professor Seo criticized that while AliExpress mostly only provides distribution channels to sellers, it should have exercised caution through self-monitoring to prevent such incidents from happening.
He also noted that in the past, traditional Korean kimchi was searched alongside paocai, a Chinese pickled vegetable, on AliExpress. He suggested that hanbok and hanfu, as well as kimchi and paocai, should be separated into distinct categories to prevent foreigners from getting confused.
He added that a true global company must first have the attitude of respecting other countries' cultures, and stated that he will continuously work with Koreans around the world to correct distorted Korean cultural products traded on major shopping malls in various countries.
Recently, videos of Chinese influencers wearing hanfu and filming at Gyeongbokgung Palace spread online, drawing fierce criticism from netizens.
(Photo: Captured from Professor Seo Kyoung-duk's social media, Yonhap News)
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