China Denies Trying to Appropriate Korean Traditional Dress

The Chinese Embassy in Korea on Monday denied that Beijing was trying to appropriate Korean culture by featuring a person in hanbok or traditional Korean dress among a display of its minority groups at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing last week.

The embassy in a statement said accusations that the "ethnic Korean attire" sported by the woman was blatant cultural appropriation "does not hold water."

"It is the hope and right of each minority group representative in China to wear their traditional costumes and participate in an international sports competition and important national event," it said. "Ethnic Koreans in China come from the same bloodline as South and North Korea and share the same culture including traditional costume."

"This traditional culture belongs to the Korean Peninsula and also to ethnic Koreans living in China. We hope both countries can strive to deepen cooperation in each sector and foster friendship between our people to develop bilateral relations to a new level."

China's Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture is home to large numbers of ethnic Koreans, but the Korean Twittersphere has been abuzz with suspicions that China was trying to assert its hegemony with the display.

The U.S. Embassy here also waded into the fray. Chargé d'Affaires Christopher Del Corso tweeted, "What comes to mind when you think of Korea? Kimchi, K-Pop, K-dramas... and of course Hanbok."

The envoy is pictured dressed in hanbok at Unhyeon Palace in downtown Seoul with influencer Yoo Mi-na, who champions the traditional dress.