Amazon product listing using the keyword “hanbok” to sell hanfu (image provided by Professor Seo Kyoung-duk).
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — A dispute over cultural appropriation flared again this week after online sellers on Amazon—believed to be based in China—were found marketing traditional Chinese garments, or hanfu, as hanbok, Korea’s traditional dress.
Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University known for his advocacy on Korean cultural issues, said on Tuesday that several listings used “Hanbok” as a keyword despite offering products unmistakably styled as hanfu. Although the sellers’ nationalities have not been officially confirmed, Seo said the accounts appear to be operated by Chinese vendors.
The issue taps into a long-running controversy. In recent years, some Chinese internet users have promoted an unfounded claim that Korean hanbok originated from Chinese hanfu—a narrative that has repeatedly stirred public outrage in South Korea. China’s largest search engine, Baidu, previously faced backlash for describing hanbok as an ethnic Korean minority costume rather than a distinctly Korean tradition.
Colorful hanboks are laid out in front of a hanbok shop at Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Feb. 7, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. (Image courtesy of Hanbok)
Seo said he plans to officially request corrections from Amazon, noting that the Oxford English Dictionary defines hanbok explicitly as “the traditional dress of Korea.”
The flare-up reflects a broader rise in anti-China sentiment in South Korea, which analysts say increasingly surpasses anti-Japanese sentiment. Many Koreans point to Chinese social media users’ assertions over cultural ownership—ranging from hanbok to kimchi—as well as the widespread unauthorized reproduction of Korean entertainment content in China.
The hanbok–hanfu dispute gained global visibility during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, when a performer wearing hanbok appeared in the opening ceremony as part of a Chinese ethnic minority segment, prompting accusations of cultural appropriation. That controversy, combined with widely criticized short-track speedskating officiating at the same Games, fueled widespread online calls in Korea for a boycott of Chinese products.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
