Recently, I’ve been interested in the creation of hanbok. During the summer, my Korean friend went to visit Korea for 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks, her snapchat story was filled with Korean food and tourist spots. On one of the days, she posted picture of herself in a hanbok, a traditional Korean clothing. Looking at this beautiful piece of clothing, I’ve became curious how this was created and started my research.
(A modern Hanbok. This isn’t a picture of my friend though.)
Not much is known about the prehistoric era of Korea and the people's lifestyle at that time. There was apparently a kingdom called Gojoseon which lasted from 2333 BC to 108 BC, but there is no account about the clothing of this kingdom. However, we do know that Gojoseon was later conquered by the Han dynasty. Therefore, I suspect that the Koreans in this era wore something similar to Hanfu (the Han dynasty clothing). The oldest information on Korean clothing is from a mural from the Goguryeo dynasty (around 37 BCE), which can be seen in the image below.
(Mural from Goguryeo dynasty)
Through trade with China, the Korean clothing became more like the Chinese clothing as time went on. These clothing had a wide sleeve and a top that covered the hips. If you compare the two images below, you can clearly see the similarities. Which clothing do you like better? Comment below!
(Goguryeo clothing from around 400-660AD) (Northern dynasty 420-589AD)
During the Yuan dynasty (Mongols dynasty), the Mongols conquered the Korean kingdom Goryeo. The traditional design underwent change due to the influence of the Mongols. The sleeves became narrower and the upper clothing became a little shorter. The most noticeable change was that there was a bow tie near the chest instead of the band around the waist. You can see this clothing style on the bottom left picture. If you look at the image on the bottom right you might think, “hey, that’s not a Mongolian clothing.” You’re completely right. When the Mongols took over China, they incorporated the Han clothing. That’s why the Mongol clothing in this image looks different from the current Mongolian ethnic clothing. So in a way, you can say that the Korean clothing was influenced by the Hans not the Mongolians.
(Goryeo clothing around 1270-1370 AD) (Yuan Clothing from 1271-1378 AD)
Around the late 14th century to the early 15th century, both China and Korea went through a turbulent time. The Korean kingdom Goguryeo was destroyed and the Joseon dynasty emerged. At around the same time, the Yuan dynasty was ousted by the Ming dynasty. Both the Ming dynasty and Joseon (the Korean people) use to be subjects of the Yuan dynasty. Therefore, the two countries were quite close and traded with each other. This close connection allowed the Ming to influence and change the Korean clothing. If you compare the two clothing below, you can tell that the Korean clothing is a copy of the Ming’s. Maybe China and Korea's close relationship started around here? What do you think?
(15th century Joseon clothing) (15th century Ming clothing)
After the 15th century, the hanbok did not really experience a tremendous influence from other countries. However, there were still some changes. The upper clothing became shorter and the sleeves became narrower as years went on. The skirt also became shorter. The cause of this change is not clear, but I think it’s because these changes made it easier for people to move around. You can see this change in the image below.
In present day, hanbok is only worn during special occasions. If you’re interested in Korean clothing, check out this Hanbok fashion show! Also, if you ever go to Korea, try wearing a Hanbok! It’s really cute!
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