[In-Depth Look] Is Fusion Hanbok Really Hanbok?

Ham Hyeri / Journalist · Cultural Critic

Hanbok is said to be gaining global attention thanks to K-pop stars. Music videos featuring world-renowned idol singers wearing hanbok have recorded tremendous views on YouTube, leading to a surge of interest in hanbok. Coincidentally, an exhibition themed ‘K-pop × Hanbok’ was held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, and the Seoul Design Foundation, so I visited with a warm heart. The exhibition showcased hanbok worn on stage by eight teams considered key players in the K-pop Hallyu wave, including BTS, Chungha, Zico, and Oh My Girl. Drawn by the promotional phrase inviting visitors to directly experience how our traditional culture acts as a driving force behind the ‘New Hallyu,’ I went with high expectations.

To get straight to the point, I was disappointed. Beyond disappointment, I was angry. I couldn’t believe how thoughtlessly the exhibition was put together. Without any theme or context, they simply lined up mannequins dressed in ‘something,’ and that was all. Perhaps because of the white bald mannequins or the simple, list-like display, I momentarily felt as if I had stepped into a 1960s department store?it was that tacky. Neither the exhibition itself nor the costumes evoked any emotion. There was no message. While I have no intention of judging the individual works that participating designers poured their hearts into, no matter how kindly I viewed the displayed garments, it was unrealistic to expect that they would promote the beauty of hanbok worldwide or lead to the limitless growth of Hallyu content.

In Professor Kim Young-min’s book What Is Studying?, in the chapter ‘Writing Without Contradiction,’ there is a passage where he questions himself with phrases like ‘Is a whale shark a shark? Is a blank expression an expression? Is meaninglessness meaningful? Is a broken relationship still a kind of relationship?’ and feels mentally overwhelmed. I would like to add one more question here: Is fusion hanbok really hanbok?

Recently, the drama Joseon Exorcist was criticized for historical distortion and was abruptly canceled after only two of its sixteen episodes aired. Along with rumors that part of the 32 billion won production budget came from Chinese capital, the issue of China’s cultural engineering resurfaced.

Cultural engineering refers to the expansion of China’s ‘Northeast Project,’ which claims Goguryeo history as Chinese history, into the cultural domain. One example cited is the ‘Hanfu controversy’ surrounding hanbok. Chinese netizens claim that Korea’s hanbok was borrowed from China’s Ming dynasty ‘hanfu’ by Goryeo, which was then a vassal state. Last year, the Chinese fashion styling game Shining Nikki added hanbok costumes to celebrate the Korean version’s release, but when Chinese users protested, saying these were not ‘Korean traditional costumes’ but rather ‘Ming dynasty hanfu or traditional costumes of the Joseonjok (ethnic Koreans in China),’ the Korean service was suspended. It is not something to dismiss as nonsense. Since the identity of our culture is not yet well known, if China insists that hanbok belongs to them, foreigners unfamiliar with Korea may come to perceive it that way.

Even now, many places on Earth still call hanbok ‘Korean kimono.’ It is only natural that we must proclaim to the world that our beautiful hanbok is undoubtedly our traditional attire. Fusion hanbok will not do. Some may argue that fusion hanbok is still hanbok, but fusion hanbok refers to garments inspired by hanbok, mixed with modern sensibilities or made using hanbok materials, creating ‘hanbok-like’ clothing. It is fortunate that young people who had turned away from traditional hanbok are now interested in fusion hanbok with a modern sensibility, and it is especially welcome that K-pop stars wear fusion hanbok on stage. However, no matter what, something merely hanbok-like cannot be considered true hanbok.

Only after establishing a proper and strong theme can various variations be possible. Accurately and properly informing people about what traditional hanbok is should be the task of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism at a time when China’s cultural engineering theories are emerging. Simply displaying K-pop stars’ stage costumes is not the solution.