Why Wear 'Hanfu' in Gyeongbokgung? Chinese Influencers Spark Criticism Over Tradition Stunts

Chinese influencers posting videos and photos of themselves visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace wearing the traditional Chinese attire "Hanfu" on social media have sparked controversy.

Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University stated on social media today (August 20) that he has been continuously receiving reports regarding this issue. "Of course, foreign tourists can travel across South Korea wearing their traditional clothing, but this can lead to misunderstandings among other foreign visitors," he pointed out.

He emphasized that the act of filming videos while walking around Gyeongbokgung in Hanfu and uploading them to social media can further fuel these misconceptions.

"Our traditional Korean Hanbok and China's Hanfu are distinct garments, yet foreigners might mistake Hanfu for Korea's traditional attire," Professor Seo said. "Making videos of wandering around Gyeongbokgung in Hanfu and posting them on social media is the bigger problem."

Hanfu is the traditional clothing of China's Han majority and is a separate traditional attire developed within a different history and cultural background from Hanbok.

However, some Chinese netizens have previously claimed that Hanbok originated from Hanfu.

Controversy also arose previously when Chinese online shopping malls grouped Hanbok and Hanfu together under the same category.

"This kind of incident has happened more than once or twice at Gyeongbokgung," Professor Seo noted, adding, "Chinese influencers need to cultivate 'global manners' by learning to respect the history and culture of other countries first."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.