On a Korean TV show, some hosts went to a popular tourist site and rented out old Korean school uniform. It’s called gyobok (교복) in Korea. It looked quite different from Korean school uniform nowadays, not to mention the uniform I wore in junior high or high school. Once in our class, Jenna also mentioned how Korean uniforms were influenced by other countries and changed over time. As a result, I’m really curious about this topic now and thus took a look at different kinds of Korean school uniforms.
A snap of "Camping Club ep.4" on YouTube
In the 80s, the school uniforms in South Korea were influenced by Japan. The set of sailor suits as a traditional and popular item from Japan was modified and used as uniforms for girls. For boys in the 80s, they have soldier hats with black traditional uniforms. The colors of the uniform are largely limited to black, white, and navy blue.
Pic from Google by searching “Korean school uniform 80s”
There are also many different kinds of uniforms between private and public schools. For example, for private schools such as Seoul School of Performing Arts (서공예 SOPA) and Seoul Arts High School (서울예술고등학교), they have more unusual colors such as yellow on their uniform. A large number of idols study in these art schools, and thus it’s easy for people to identify their high school by the uniforms they wear.
For public schools, the uniform for each school may vary, but they usually have less bright colors as the private schools. For girls, a lot of schools have white shirts and short skirts for them as uniforms. The skirts may be in blue, red, or black, and are mostly decorated with plaids. In winter, they have grey or white vests and a black jacket to put on top of the shirt. Boys usually have similar items, and instead of shorts, they have black long pants. Some schools require ties for boys to put on. For PE class, the students will change into another uniform with baggy jackets and pants. Also, some public high schools may have longer skirts for girls. These skirts are usually all black without any patterns on them.
Reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBmUsuVzO6k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfCbAa4UmgI
https://www.mutzine.me/features/a-brief-history-korean-school-uniforms
http://officialkoreanfashion.blogspot.com/2016/11/korean-school-uniforms.html
Comments
It's always interesting to learn about a countries' school uniforms. Because I think we can learn about that country's culture and how over the time, other countries influenced it. There is a youtube video series called a hundred years of beauty and I enjoy watching it because it show the change in the country's culture over the time.