Nowadays, contemporary Koreans wear hanbok for formal or semi-formal occasions and for events such as weddings, festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies.

The term emerged in the late Joseon period, when the Empire of Japan and other western countries competed to place Korea under their own sphere of influence.

Gil (길) is the large section of the garment on both front and back sides, and git (깃) is a band of fabric that trims the collar.

[26] Sokchima was largely made in a traditional way until the early 20th century when shoulder straps were added,[34] later developing into a sleeveless bodice or "reformed" petticoat called Eo-Kkeh-Heo-ri-Chima.

The roomy design is aimed at making the clothing ideal for sitting on the floor and an ethnic style that dates back to the Three kingdoms period.

Contrastingly, commoners were required to wear white, but dressed in shades of pale pink, light green, gray and charcoal on special occasions.

The upper classes dressed in hanbok of closely woven ramie cloth or other high grade lightweight materials in warmer months and of plain and patterned silks throughout the remainder of the year.

These basic structural and features of hanbok remain relatively unchanged to this day,[78] except for the length and the ways the jeogori opening was closed as over the years.

[citation needed] Some Goguryeo aristocrats wore roomy pants with tighter bindings at the ankle than others, which may have been status symbols along with length, cloth material, and colour.

This type of long sleeves, similar to the Chinese water-sleeves, was passed down to Goryeo, Joseon, and present day Korean court dances and shamanic rituals.

[citation needed] In the North-South States Period (698–926 CE), Silla and Balhae adopted dallyeong, a circular-collar robe from the Tang dynasty of China.

King Muyeol of Silla personally travelled to the Tang dynasty to voluntarily request for clothes and belts; it is however difficult to determine which specific form and type of clothing was bestowed although Silla requested the bokdu (幞頭; a form of hempen hood during this period), danryunpo (團領袍; round collar gown), banbi, baedang (䘯襠), and pyo (褾).

[54] The bokdu also become part of the official dress code of royal aristocrats, court musicians, servants, and slaves during the reign of Queen Jindeok; it continued to be used throughout the Goryeo dynasty.

[87][88] The way of wearing the top under the chima (Tang-style influenced fashion) did not disappear in Goryeo and continued to coexist with the indigenous style of wearing of the top over skirt throughout the entire Goryeo dynasty; this Tang-style influenced fashion continued to be worn until the early Joseon dynasty and only disappeared in the middle and late Joseon periods.

[61] Although women from Goryeo were considered very beautiful and good servants, most of them lived in unfortunate situations, marked by hard labour and sexual abuse.

[107] Neo-confucianism also influence women's wearing of full-pleated chima, longer jeogori, and multiple layers clothing in order to never reveal skin.

During the 19th century fullness of the skirt was achieved around the knees and ankles thus giving chima a triangular or an A-shaped silhouette, which is still the preferred style to this day.

A clothes reformation movement aimed at lengthening jeogori experienced wide success in the early 20th century and has continued to influence the shaping of modern hanbok.

[115] Under the 1884's decree of King Gojong, only narrow-sleeves traditional overcoat were permitted; as such, all Koreans, regardless of their social class, their age and their gender started to wear the durumagi or chaksuui or ju-ui (周衣).

[116] In 1895, King Gojong decreed adult Korean men to cut their hair short and western-style clothing were allowed and adopted.

[115] The upper classes wore hanbok of closely woven ramie cloth or other high-grade lightweight materials in warm weather and of plain and patterned silks the rest of the year.

Commoners were restricted by law to everyday clothes of white, but for special occasions they wore dull shades of pale pink, light green, gray, and charcoal.

However, hanbok is still worn for traditional occasions, and is reserved for celebrations like weddings, the Lunar New Year, annual ancestral rites, or the birth of a child.

Hanbok has been featured in international haute couture; on the catwalk, in 2015 when Karl Lagerfeld dressed Korean models for Chanel, and during Paris Fashion Week in photography by Phil Oh.

In Seoul, a tourist's wearing of hanbok makes their visit to the Five Grand Palaces (Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung) free of charge.

[131] After the mid-1990s due to extreme economic contractions, women could purchase their Joseon-ot in private markers and were allowed to choose their desired colours and designs.

[132] In the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, where most chaoxianzu reside,[21] the chaoxianfu was mostly worn on special occasions in the past;[18] however, by 2019, they had regained popularity and have become fashionable.

[133]: 239  In 2022, a girl from the chaoxianzu ethnic group wore a chaoxianfu on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony leading to an uproar from South Koreans who accused China of cultural appropriation.

[137] Popular embroidered patterns on hwarot were lotuses, phoenixes, butterflies, and the ten traditional symbols of longevity: the sun; mountains; water; clouds; rocks/stone; pine trees; the mushroom of immortality; turtles; white cranes, and deer.

[82] It was mostly worn by royalty, high-ranking court ladies, and noblewomen and the colors and patterns represented the various elements of the Korean class system.