Women dress with "chogori," or a blouse-like short upper garment with long sleeves, and a long, wide skirt. Men wear simple pants and a longer chogori, often with a colorful vest and "magoja," or a short coat, worn over a jacket for better style.

White is the basic color for hanbok, but material, color and manner of wearing all vary depending on the season and social class.

On such special occasions as wedding and festivals, it’s not uncommon for the average person to dress up with colorful clothes and accessories.

The hanbok originates back to the Three Kingdoms Period (57 B.C. A.D. 668) as wall paintings in tombs from the period show people wearing it.

And its styles remain without many changes - a little in the length of chogori, the width of the sleeves, and colors have been changed, but now various kinds of modernized hanbok are also available, which are modified to suit current trends and lifestyles.

Hanbok is designed roughly at first and then it is made to fit by folding or tying strings on extra parts. The beauty of hanbok is found not only in its humanized design and color but also in the movements a wearer makes.

(Korea Times, September 8, 2005)