Amazon Listings Misrepresent 'Hanbok' as 'Hanfu', Professor Seo Kyung-duk to Lodge Complaint

Controversy is brewing on the global e-commerce platform Amazon, where numerous listings have been found mislabeling traditional Korean clothing as 'Hanfu' or selling Hanfu while attaching 'Hanbok' keywords.

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University announced that he has received numerous reports from around the world regarding these listings. He suspects Chinese vendors are behind these practices and plans to send a formal complaint email to Amazon.

Professor Seo pointed out that in a time when interest in Korean traditional culture, including Hanbok and the traditional hat 'gat', is soaring due to the global spread of the Korean Wave, the misuse of 'Hanbok' keywords by sellers to boost search visibility is a clear issue. He expressed concern that this could lead international consumers to misunderstand the origin and identity of Hanbok.

The recent and ongoing claims within Chinese online communities that Hanbok originated from the Chinese traditional attire Hanfu are seen as a background factor to this controversy.

Professor Seo added that he will continue to run global promotional campaigns to ensure that 'Hanbok is correctly introduced to the world'. It is worth noting that in 2021, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) officially recognized and included 'hanbok' as traditional Korean clothing.

Korean netizens reacted strongly to the news, with comments such as "Here we go again, this time on Amazon?", "Professor Seo Kyung-duk, always supporting you!", and "We must protect our culture ourselves."