The People of White Clothes(白衣民族) from Modern Perspectives

Abstract

There seems to have arisen a preference for wearing white clothes amongst Koreans from the long past, even tracing back to the ancient times in tradition of Shamanism worshipping the sun . This “preference” persevered throughout the passage of time, even with the numerous internal and external pressures to forbid or interrupt this tradition. The wearing of White Clothes by Koreans can also be often found in the various records made by foreign visitors recognized as a noticeable phenomenon, and representative of Korea which seems to have influences even until now in the impressions of the country. Despite of this tradition that seems to have lasted over the last 5000 years, all of a sudden it disappeared within the last 50years. In the contemporary modern fashion of Korea, it seems hard to say , Koreans enjoyably sporting White clothes, is a stand out trait anymore, thus the equation of Koreans equivalent to the people of white not a valid stamen anymore. it could not be said that this tradition is representative of the Korean cultural Identity. Why would this be the case? What happened to the long lasted pattern? In what form or shape has this tradition trasnsformed and reappears before us today? This paper seeks to find the answers to these questions.