'Hanbok Gongjeong' Chaos... US Fashion Magazine Introduces Hanbok as 'Hanpu'

US Vogue: "Hanfu is the clothing from the era when the Han ethnicity ruled China"

A post uploaded on the official Instagram of the American fashion magazine 'Vogue'. / Photo by Vogue Instagram capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Amid controversy over the so-called 'Hanbok Gongjeong' sparked by the appearance of a woman wearing an outfit presumed to be Hanbok at the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony, the American fashion magazine Vogue introduced China's Hanbok-style clothing as 'Hanfu.'

On the 1st (local time), Vogue posted a photo of a female model wearing traditional Hanbok-style clothing on its official Instagram. Vogue described the photo as "clothing from the era when the Han ethnic group ruled China," adding, "It has recently gained popularity among young Chinese people, especially on social networking services (SNS) like Weibo."

It continued, "The hashtag '#Hanfu' has recorded about 4.9 billion views within China," and "Hanfu-related videos have garnered over 47 billion views in China. Right now, Hanfu videos are trending among young Chinese."

The woman featured as the Hanfu model in Vogue is a Chinese influencer known by the stage name 'Shiyin.' She previously claimed that Korean traditional clothing Hanbok was influenced by Hanfu, engaging in heated debates with domestic netizens.

Regarding Vogue's post, conflicts arose between Korean and Chinese netizens. Korean netizens pointed out, "This is historical distortion," and "It is Hanbok, not Hanfu," while Chinese netizens countered, "Hanfu is traditional Chinese clothing and a proud culture."

On the 4th (local time), at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a performer wearing a hanbok is waving their hand. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, at the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony held on the 4th (local time), controversy erupted over the appearance of a woman dressed in attire similar to Hanbok. The woman appeared wearing a white jeogori, a pink chima, and had her hair styled in a daenggi hairstyle.

The woman appeared during the opening ceremony's 'Ordinary Citizens' Flag Delivery' performance. This event involved representatives from 56 ethnic minorities in China carrying and passing a giant Five-starred Red Flag. The woman also participated as a representative of an ethnic minority. Domestic netizens pointed out that this could lead to the misunderstanding that Korea's unique culture is part of Chinese ethnic minority culture.

In this regard, Professor Seo Kyungdeok of Sungshin Women's University stated, "We must boldly confront China's cultural Northeast Project and accurately point out what is wrong," adding, "We should not only be angry but also spread the truth that 'Hanbok is Korea's traditional clothing' more widely to the world."

Presidential candidates also raised concerns. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, posted on Facebook, "Do not covet culture. Oppose cultural engineering," while Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party candidate, said, "I tell the Chinese authorities: It is Hanbok, not Hanfu," emphasizing, "Hanbok is Korean culture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.