By Honorary Reporters Winner and Winnie Abel from Nigeria

Photo = Winner and Winnie Abel 

As lovers of Korea and its culture, we had always wanted a traditional Hanbok for ourselves. We made our dream come true this year as the clothing is very special to us because of the sense of belonging it gives.

Our Hanbok was made with a bridal satin featuring a combination of the three colors appearing in the Korean flag (red, blue and white) to give the outfit a more meaningful, traditional and elegant look. Choosing the color combination was difficult, but after seeing the Taegeukgi, we instantly knew that we wanted to use the flag's rich colors in our design because of what they symbolize.

Standing for peace and purity, white is a traditional color in Korean culture that was commonly used in the daily attire of 19th-century Korea. The color still frequently appears in contemporary versions of traditional Korean garments.

We used red for the jeogori (basic upper garment) because the color in the flag represents positive cosmic forces and blue for the chima (wide skirt) for its representation of the antithesis of such forces. Together they symbolize balance in the universe.

We loved the final version of the Hanbok we designed and how beautiful and perfectly it looked on us. We will definitely try more traditional Korean clothing in the future.

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.