Controversy is growing as more Chinese tourists have been spotted around Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul wearing "hanfu," traditional Chinese clothing, to take photos and videos. Some have raised concerns that foreign tourists could mistake hanfu for hanbok.
Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, said on the 9th on his social media (SNS), "I received tips from netizens," and noted, "When I checked SNS, there was footage of a Chinese person walking across the Gwanghwamun woldae wearing clothing reminiscent of a Chinese emperor."
Recently, photos and videos of Chinese tourists wearing hanfu, traditional Chinese clothing, to take photos and videos around Gyeongbok Palace and Gwanghwamun have been posted online one after another.
Seo said, "They can travel across the Republic of Korea wearing their traditional clothing, but foreign tourists could misunderstand," and pointed out, "Our hanbok and China's hanfu are clearly different outfits, yet foreigners could mistake it for Korea's traditional clothing."
In particular, he cited as a problem Chinese influencers posting on their SNS videos shot with Gyeongbok Palace as the backdrop while wearing hanfu.
In fact, numerous photos and videos of visits to Gyeongbok Palace in hanfu have reportedly been posted on Chinese social media, including Weibo and Xiaohongshu.
Seo criticized, "Chinese influencers should first adopt 'global manners' that respect the history and culture of other countries."
Some netizens who saw the related photos and videos also criticized that the historical context of the space that is Gyeongbok Palace should be taken into account.