Korean White Hanbok Everyday Tradition

For about two thousand years, from early Korean history through the late Joseon era and into the early 20th century, most Koreans wore only plain white clothing called hanbok, a custom that earned them the nickname baekui minjok, or “the white-clothed people.” The tradition developed as undyed white cloth became associated with purity, humility, and everyday simplicity, and it fit with Confucian values and Korea’s strong culture of mourning. In the 20th century, the practice declined as Japanese colonial authorities discouraged white dress and Western-style colored clothing spread, and by the mid-1900s most Koreans no longer wore all-white outfits in daily life.

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