<2021.05.25>
Congratulations! The world-renowned Collins English Dictionary in the UK has newly listed Hanbok as an English word.
With over 200 years of history, HarperCollins—one of the most prominent publishers in the UK and North America—has finally included Hanbok on its website (collinsdictionary.com), thanks to the persuasion of VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea).
Recently, China’s Northeast Project, which distorts the histories of Goguryeo and Balhae, has expanded into a cultural project that seeks to appropriate Korean culture, including Hanbok, gat, kimchi, and samgyetang.
VANK suspects that as global interest in Korean culture has grown through the Korean Wave, China has begun claiming the origins of Korean culture as Chinese.
In particular, China has used influential platforms like video games—especially impactful among young people globally—to distort Hanbok as Chinese clothing, which has become a serious issue.
For example, on April 13, China referred to Korea’s traditional attire Hanbok as “Hanfu” and claimed it originated from China. In the mobile game “Call Me Emperor”, an outfit nearly identical to the Hanbok worn by IU in a Korean drama appeared, causing controversy.
Also, in November of last year, when the Chinese game company Papergames introduced Hanbok-style outfits in “Shining Nikki”, Chinese users claimed, “Hanbok is Chinese clothing.”
As a result, Shining Nikki withdrew from the Korean market, and other games such as Gong 3D and Emperor’s Dream have continued to receive criticism for featuring Hanbok-like attire.
In response, VANK launched a campaign titled “Introducing Hanbok to Global Dictionary Sites” to proactively counter China’s distorted claim that Hanbok is Hanfu.
By having Korean cultural terms like Hanbok listed as proper nouns in globally renowned dictionaries, Korea’s identity can be protected and its culture and history more effectively promoted worldwide.
To achieve this, VANK researcher Shin Ji-won began contacting dictionary editors starting on April 19, including those from Merriam-Webster (USA), Oxford English Dictionary (UK), and Collins Dictionary (UK), sending English-language explanations about Hanbok and requesting its inclusion as a new word.
As a result, Collins Dictionary, one of the most well-known English dictionaries globally, has now listed Hanbok as an official entry—thanks to the efforts of researcher Shin Ji-won.
-Before Correction
– Hanbok Registration in Progress: The UK’s Collins Dictionary currently shows the status as “Under Review.”
-After Correction
Collins reviewed VANK’s proposal to include the word “hanbok” for about a month, and ultimately accepted it.
As a result, “hanbok” has been officially added to the Collins Dictionary website, along with a definition identifying it as traditional Korean clothing.
The current listing on the Collins Dictionary website clearly introduces hanbok as “Korea’s traditional attire,” affirming that it is an unmistakable part of Korean culture.