Overview
Through postwar recovery and economic growth, Western dress settled into every corner of life.
Key garments and style
In South Korea daily wear is now largely Western, and the hanbok is worn as formal dress for weddings and the seasonal holidays (Seollal, Chuseok); an easier “reformed” or everyday hanbok has also spread. In the 21st century, Seoul street fashion and K-pop have carried Korean dress to the world.
Transition
The peninsula’s dress keeps the long two-piece hanbok tradition in its formal wear while living within contemporary global fashion.