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July 9, 2020 - 3 min readWearing Hanbok and visiting the palaces of Seoul is one of the most popular traditional activities in Korea. It’s also one of the most unique Korean activities that you can do and a great way to experience a part of Korean culture. If you haven’t yet considered wearing hanbok on your trip to Korea, I recommend it! It’s an experience that you won’t forget. This is everything that you need to know about Hanbok rental in Seoul – from where to rent hanbok to hanbok photoshoots and more!
What is Hanbok?
Hanbok is Korean traditional clothes dating back to the three kingdoms period – a period which ended around 650 AD. Hanbok is generally very colourful and intricately designed, being made up of multiple items of clothing.
Traditionally Hanbok was worn by the commoners, while another type of clothing, the gwanbok, was worn by officials. Although the term hanbok simply means ‘Korean clothing’, the hanbok referred to in contemporary Korean culture is that of the Joseon dynasty – the last dynasty in Korea.
Women’s hanbok is bell-shaped, with the jacket intended to be tight-fitting and the skirt to be free and flowing in order to hide the movements of the woman. This gives a certain grace to the movements by hiding her legs.
Men’s hanbok, on the other hand, consists of a top, coat, and pants. Similar to women’s hanbok, these clothes will come in hundreds of different colour options – all of them as intricate and eye-catching as the last. Learn more about hanbok.
Hanbok in Modern Korea
Despite the clothing being hundreds of years old, it is still worn by Koreans today. During your stay in Korea, you are sure to come across a contemporary hanbok store – they are quite common!
Nowadays, hanbok is normally worn for special occasions. Most often, family events of different kinds. Children wear hanbok on their first birthday (yes, there are many types of children’s hanbok too!), and many couples wear hanbok for their wedding ceremonies. Further, it is often worn for funerals.
Hanbok popularity has also skyrocketed among tourists, and wearing hanbok is a must-do activity for many visitors to the country. Although many countries have traditional clothing, not many countries have clothing as colourful and breathtaking as the hanbok.
Hundreds of different stores now exist where tourists and locals alike can rent hanbok for the day. The government has even started promoting a national Hanbok Day in October.
Hanbok is a much-loved part of Korean culture and it’s one of the most popular tourist activities for good reason!
Where to Rent Hanbok
If you are looking for hanbok rental in Seoul then you are in luck – there are a TON of different rental agencies that offer tourists and locals the ability to rent their dream hanbok.
While Hanbok rental agencies can be found all over the city, they are more common in the traditional areas of Seoul. Primarily, the area from Gyeongbokgung to Insadong. This area also includes many popular locations to wear hanbok!
With the amount of hanbok rental shops in Seoul, it’s hard to list them all. Despite there being so many, I chose to list only the stores that I have visited and/or experienced myself.
If your favourite store isn’t listed here then it’s most likely for no reason other than I have yet to experience it!