This photo, provided by the Asian American Youth Council, shows its members who have successfully made a U.S. city introduce a commemorative day for the traditional Korean costume “hanbok.”
SEOUL, April 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Korean American high school students in the United States have stepped up to take action against false claims by China that hanbok, Korean traditional attire, actually originate in China.
The Asian American Youth Council (AAYC), a youth organization active in the U.S., announced Sunday that municipality of Tenafly in the state of New Jersey has declared October 21 as Korean Hanbok Day.
The day was named to emphasize the fact that hanbok are Korean traditional garments, and decided to maintain the use of the term ‘hanbok’, a Korean word for ‘Korean traditional clothes’.
It is the first time for a foreign authority to designate a certain day to celebrate Korean hanbok, the AAYC said.
Korean American high school students stepped up to take these actions after being taken aback by false Chinese claims that kimchi and hanbok ‘originated from China’.
After learning about the controversy over kimchi and hanbok on YouTube, AAYC head Brian Jeon, 18, engaged with members to come with ways to address the issue, deciding that they would found a firm basis to show that hanbok are indeed part of Korean culture.
They believe that by promoting U.S. authorities to designate Korean Hanbok Day, it will serve as a strong basis to refute false claims from China.
The students sent letters of petition to local U.S. politicians, asking them to designate Korean Hanbok Day, to which Tenafly Mayor Mark Zinna made the first response, accepting their request.
The AAYC said they will continue to promote the designation of the Korean Hanbok Day to other U.S. cities.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
Why not instead petition for an Asian American Day, to establish the fact that Asians originate in America? Anything goes, I guess, to undermine the overwhelming Chinese civilizational cultural influence on East Asia.
Of course, it is no brainer that Hanbok did not originate in China. Yet, it is factual history that its designs were deeply influenced by Hanfu, which is arguably the “Mother of Hanbok”. To blatantly deny the inseparable ties to one’s cultural roots with the help of a warmongering Western power is nothing more than a childish affront to the core Confucian value of filial piety.
Instead of recognizing the paramount historical value of Hanfu throughout East Asia, it is preposterously labeled a symbol of Han Chinese nationalism. This is evident of the prevailing Western illiteracy, concerning intellectual cultural understanding of East Asia.
Why not petition for a Tibetan or Thai Buddhism Day? Why the cultural bias? Will that mean Buddhism originated from Tibet or Thailand? What ultimately does a Korean Hanbok Day prove? Nothing!
Asians originate in America? Try to use proper grammar if you want your words to be taken seriously.
Let’s just see this whole childish play for what it is. The arrogance of CCP propaganda to steal and take any credit for the current Korean culture that has become popular across Asia and somewhat across the world. As Korean cultural content started to skyrocket in China, CCP has been putting exhausting efforts to curtail it’s popularity, to no avail. Most Chinese still illegally download and watch all Korean entertainment contents for free since China banned all things Korean.
To claim that Hanbok came from China is to completely ignore thousands of years of Korean history. It’s as if to foolishly claim that the Chinese gave the Koreans the gift of cloth! Korean Hanbok changed and developed ORGANICALLY through thousands of years, and astounding amount of proof to show that it changed gradually to the current form that the Korean cultural department promote as uniquely Korean. Of course just as all of Europe’s countries influenced each other to have distinctive culture that collectively became European. Similarly Asian countries influenced EACH other culturally through the years. Koreans give ownership to where it belongs when it is indeed the truth. No one Korean would claim Confucianism is Korean, although it has influenced it’s culture tremendously. To the point that Korean uphold Confucianism more than the Chinese post Communist Cultural Revolution. However, Hanbok is uniquely Korean. It has not been influenced from China, rather influenced Chinese attire during many cultural interactions.
Similarly Kimchi is uniquely Korean. Chinese Pachou that CCP is forcefully trying to pass as Kimchi is PICKLED vegetables. Whereas Kimchi is FERMENTED. It is hilarious when USA stationed THADD weaponry in Korea, Chinese boycotted all thing Korean especially KIMCHI!!! Lol It is not until Chinese realized how lucrative Kimchi is around the world as Korean culture has become more popular, that it fabricated lies to say Kimchi came form China. All these fabrication is becoming ridiculous to the point that I have heard Chinese claim Jesus came from China too. At certain point CCP has to realize it is spitting on its own face with its outrageous claims because the rest of the world is NOT as gullible as its own people and we will not standby it spreading it’s prolific lies.