Nat'l Assembly speaker urges lawmakers to wear hanbok at parliamentary opening

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Nat'l Assembly speaker urges lawmakers to wear hanbok at parliamentary opening

Published: 30 Aug. 2025, 17:09

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik uploaded these photos of himself wearing blue and red hanbok on Facebook on Aug. 30. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik on Saturday renewed his call for lawmakers to don hanbok, the country's traditional attire, during the opening ceremony of the regular parliamentary session on Sept. 1.

In a post uploaded to Facebook, Woo shared two photos of himself in blue and red hanbok, writing, “This is what I will wear for the opening of the regular session the day after tomorrow. I bought them about ten years ago, and taking these clothes out again after so long feels refreshing.”

Woo added that he had considered wearing the black robe once owned by the late Rev. Moon Ik-hwan, a prominent pro-democracy pastor, which he had purchased years ago at a charity auction before donating it to Moon’s memorial foundation. “But this time,” he said, “I thought I should wear something brighter.”

The speaker explained that the idea was first raised by Rep. Baek Hye-ryun of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) earlier in the week, after which he and Deputy Speakers Lee Hak-young and Joo Ho-young jointly proposed that lawmakers wear hanbok together.

“The day marking the start of the year’s most important parliamentary session is an opportunity not just for Koreans, but also for people around the world, to deepen their interest in and affection for Korean culture,” Woo wrote.

Noting skepticism over the plan, Woo wrote, “Some have said, ‘With partisan conflict so intense, how can you talk about hanbok?’ But expressing pride in our culture on this special day has nothing to do with partisan conflict. It could serve as a message of harmony and as a demonstration of our ability to unite through our commonalities rather than our differences.”

The idea first drew public attention earlier in the week when Baek appeared at a plenary session wearing hanbok, saying, “It is time for the National Assembly to take part in spreading K-culture.”

Rep. Baek Hye-ryun appears in hanbok at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 27. [YONHAP]

“Many legislatures around the world begin their sessions in traditional dress,” Woo wrote. “Let us also honor that tradition and help K-culture take root globally.”

However, Woo’s idea appears to have gained little traction with the conservative People Power Party (PPP).

PPP floor leader Song Eon-seok said Friday that both he and his DP counterpart had conveyed their opposition.

“I suggested instead that the speaker and the two deputy speakers wear hanbok as representatives of the legislature,” he said. “Such a gesture alone would stand out and demonstrate to the world what a dignified garment hanbok is.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]