A hanbok (in South Korean) or Chosŏn-ot (in North Korean) is a traditional Korean dress for semi-formal or formal attire during traditional occasions such as festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies. It is characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Although the term literally means "Korean clothing", today Hanbok usually refers specifically to clothing worn during the Joseon dynasty period. Korea had a dual clothing tradition in which rulers and aristocrats adopted different kinds of mixed foreign-influenced indigenous styles while commoners preserved a distinct style of indigenous clothing, today known as hanbok.

In 1996, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established "Hanbok Day" to encourage South Korean citizens to wear hanbok.

Composition and design

Traditional women's hanbok consists of jeogori, a blouse shirt or a jacket, and chima, a wrap-around skirt, which is usually worn full. The ensemble is often called chima jeogori. Men's hanbok consists of jeogori and loose-fitting baji ("trousers")