On Tuesday, the senior US ambassador in South Korea tweeted a photo of herself wearing hanbok and claiming it to be Korean, in an apparent reaction to the uproar generated by China's alleged cultural appropriation of traditional Korean apparel during the Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
On Tuesday, Christopher Del Corso, charge d'affaires ad interim of the US Embassy in Seoul, shared two photos on Twitter of himself wearing hanbok while touring historic sites.
"When you think about Korea, what comes to mind?" Kimchi, K-Pop, K-dramas...and, of course, Hanbok," he added beside the hashtag #OriginalHanbokFromKorea on the post.
Del Corso's remark comes as the South Korean public has expressed displeasure with what they perceive to be China's claim to their traditional dress at the Beijing Olympics. A troop of performers representing 56 Chinese ethnicities carried the Chinese national flag into the stadium during the opening ceremony on Friday. One woman was dressed in hanbok, a traditional Korean dress known as "joseonjok" in China.
The image of a hanbok-clad lady described as a member of one of China's ethnic groups, on the other hand, sparked outrage in China, with officials, including key presidential hopefuls, criticizing it as deceptive and part of "cultural appropriation." It also alluded to popular outrage in South Korea at recent Chinese claims to some aspects of Korean culture, such as kimchi, a Korean delicacy composed of fermented cabbage or other vegetables.
In response, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul issued a rare statement calling such claims of "culture appropriation" "ridiculous," emphasizing that hanbok belongs to both Korean Peninsula residents and ethnic Koreans in China.
"It is their wish and right for representatives of each ethnic group in China to wear their traditional costumes and participate in international sporting competitions such as the Beijing Winter Olympics and significant national events," the embassy's spokeswoman said in a statement released Tuesday. "Ethnic Koreans in China and the Korean Peninsula's north and south share the same bloodline and traditional culture, including attire."
China respects Korea's historical and cultural traditions, according to the source, who also hopes that the Korean side would "respect the sentiments of China's numerous ethnic minorities, including joseonjok."
On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry claimed it had "properly" conveyed South Koreans' worries over the cultural appropriation of the hanbok through authorized channels. And the Chinese side has stated that it is aware of the public outcry in Korea and that what occurred during the event has nothing to do with the hanbok's cultural heritage.
According to reports, Beijing advised Seoul that there was no need to be concerned from a cultural standpoint because hanbok is still a part of Korea's traditional culture.
