School uniforms in South Korea

A typical South Korean uniform usually consists of a shirt, blazer and tie, with skirts for girls and trousers for boys.

[1] More recently, the uniform is often worn by celebrities who target the younger, teen audience to sell entertainment products.

[3] The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture divides the history of school uniforms into six parts: the 1800s-1910, 1910–1945, 1945–1968, 1968–1982, 1982–1985, 1986-current.

The uniform consisted of a purple serge one-piece clothing with a pink bonnet and heels.

[1] This movement was heavily influenced by Western missionaries and was centered around girls-only schools.

However, schools differentiated their uniforms from others by means such as wave patterns and skirt lengths.

[1][4] In the 1930s, the Empire of Japan, which ruled over Korea, implemented a policy to unify the girls' uniforms as 'yangjang.'

The change in policy is attributed to both a growing awareness of Western culture and a movement by Japan to get rid of hanbok.

The policy was established to diminish the senses of oppression and alienation while encouraging individualism.

However, according to the Ministry of Education (South Korea), 96.4% of female students are wearing uniforms.

[1] A typical Korean school uniform for a boy usually includes a jacket, a long-sleeved collared white shirt, a tie, dress trousers, and outerwear for the Winter season.

A girl's Korean school uniform generally consists of a bow, a collared white shirt with sleeves, a vest, a pleated skirt and outerwear for the winter, and white socks.