Professor criticises hanfu promotion video filmed at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung palace

Sungshin Women's University professor Seo Kyoung-duk (서경덕) criticised videos of Chinese influencers wearing hanfu at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung palace, saying their international circulation could cause confusion about Korean traditional clothing. In a social media post on October 17, he described a video in which a Chinese man wearing hanfu said he had come to Korea and called for Chinese culture to be promoted around the world. Yonhap and other Korean outlets reported Seo's account and his request that influencers stop making and sharing such footage at the palace. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]

Seo said travellers could wear their own country's traditional clothing while visiting Korea. His concern focused on filming it against the backdrop of a Korean cultural heritage site and distributing the results on social media. He said hanbok and hanfu were distinct garments, and that foreign visitors could mistake hanfu for Korean traditional dress. He also said photos and videos showing people in hanfu at Gyeongbokgung were appearing on Weibo and Xiaohongshu. His appeal called for respect for other countries' history and culture. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]

Asia Economy reported that palace staff had stopped the influencer and described visitor rules allowing restrictions when clothing could disrupt visits or heritage preservation and management. That account did not include a direct statement from palace authorities. Seoul Shinmun separately reported that visiting in Chinese traditional clothing was not itself prohibited and that clothing alone would not readily justify restricting entry when visitors were not harming others or disrupting order. The reports therefore distinguish the criticism of filming and sharing promotional footage from the question of what visitors may wear. [ 4 , 8 ]