Hanbok with bizarre designs appeared at a Korean traditional culture experience space in Saudi Arabia.
According to Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, and others, clothing far removed from hanbok has been used as hanbok experience attire at Korea Village in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Korea Village is a venue planned by a Korean corporations to coincide with Riyadh Season, the largest local global festival in Riyadh, and is arranged as a complex exhibition and experience space that encompasses Korea's modern and traditional culture.
However, the attire for the hanbok experience was found to be far from traditional hanbok. Most of the clothing features jeogori without visible goreum and wide sleeves, prompting criticism that it is "far from traditional hanbok design."
It was found that the bizarre outfit touted as hanbok even had a taegeukgi motif attached. Some said it exaggeratedly staged "Korean elements" by highlighting only the taegeukgi motif.
Professor Seo said, "Although this began with good intentions to promote Korean culture in the Middle East, there should have been more consultation on hanbok, Korea's traditional attire, before proceeding."