Every spring, many visitors come to Gyeongbokgung, an old royal building in Seoul, South Korea. They wear traditional Korean clothes called hanbok. The clothes are bright and beautiful. Tourists from Europe, Asia, and America take photos there.
Hanbok is more than 1,600 years old. People can borrow hanbok from shops near the royal buildings. Anyone who wears hanbok enters for free. This is true at four royal buildings in Seoul — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung — and at Jongmyo Shrine.
A woman's hanbok has two parts. The top is a short coat that ties at the chest. The bottom is a long, full cloth that goes down to the ankles. A man's hanbok has a short top and wide, loose trousers. The clothes have bright colors and clean, simple lines.
Korean families wear hanbok on special days. These include Seollal, the Lunar New Year, and Chuseok, the Korean harvest holiday. People also wear it at weddings, at a baby's first birthday party, and at 60th-birthday celebrations. Most Koreans wear modern clothes every day, so seeing hanbok at a royal building feels special.
K-pop groups like BTS and BLACKPINK have worn modern hanbok in music videos. Korean TV shows about the Joseon period, from 1392 to 1897, show beautiful hanbok too. People in many countries watch these shows online.
Some designers now make "fusion hanbok." They keep the traditional shape but use new materials and styles. In 2022, South Korea's government recognized the tradition of wearing hanbok as an important part of national life. South Korea also celebrates Hanbok Day on October 21 every year.