IVE's Jang Wonyoung Wearing 'Bonghwang Binyeo' in Paris, China Claims "Stole Traditional Culture"

Jang Wonyoung Personally Brings to Promote Korean Beauty
Phoenix-Shaped Binyeo is a Traditional Korean Ornament

IVE member Jang Wonyoung personally brought a binyeo to Paris Fashion Week to promote the beauty of Korea, but China is making unfounded claims that it is their traditional culture. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] Jang Wonyoung, a member of the girl group IVE, attended Paris Fashion Week in France wearing a traditional Korean hairpin called a binyeo, sparking controversy as she faced criticism from Chinese netizens.

On the 16th, Vogue Korea's YouTube channel released a video of Jang Wonyoung visiting Paris for Fashion Week.

In the video, Jang Wonyoung visited the oldest handmade crafts store in Paris and introduced her concept, saying, "Today's outfit goes perfectly with an upstyle (hair tied up high), so we styled everything from head to toe together while preparing."

At this time, she showed the binyeo and proudly said, "I brought this binyeo all the way from Korea because I wanted to show the charm of Korea in Paris." The binyeo she introduced was made of silver and shaped like a phoenix soaring to the sky. To promote Korean beauty, Jang Wonyoung wore this binyeo and also attended an event for the jewelry brand where she serves as an ambassador.

After this news spread, on the 18th, a post titled "Jang Wonyoung stole Chinese culture" appeared on the Chinese portal site NetEase. The author wrote, "Recently, Jang Wonyoung attracted attention by wearing a silver binyeo shaped like a phoenix in Paris," and added, "She loudly claimed that the binyeo is a symbol of Korean beauty."

The author also argued, "Dragons and phoenixes are unique and traditional Chinese patterns," and "Although Korea has binyeo, the binyeo with phoenix patterns is a uniquely Chinese style."

This controversy spread on the Chinese social networking service Weibo, with calls for Jang Wonyoung to apologize.

However, contrary to the claims of Chinese netizens, the phoenix-shaped binyeo is a traditional Korean accessory. Korean traditional binyeo are known for their splendid and intricate beauty, including yongjam (龍簪, a binyeo with a dragon-shaped head), bongjam (鳳簪, a binyeo shaped like a phoenix), as well as tteoljam, which simultaneously depicts bats, flowers, butterflies, and birds.

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