Abstract
Hanbok industry is not based on a consumer-oriented market system, which is related to poor competitiveness in various areas, such as product planning, marketing, and flow of raw materials. The purpose of this paper is to design and conduct an empirical study on important aspects of consumers. experiences and perspectives about Hanbok, and thereby aims to provide much-needed guidance about ways to promote the Hanbok market. Out of 1065 questionnaires distributed, a total of 1039 was returned with responses and used for analyses. The respondent sample included consumers of various background characteristics in their residential areas, age, gender, education levels, and income levels. Cronbach's alpha and a factor analysis were employed for the reliability and the construct validation of the survey instrument. One-way ANOVA associated with post-hoc comparison tests was used to investigate differences across different demographic subgroups of consumers. The results show that consumers generally view Hanbok as one of the formal dresses, worn one or two times per year for traditional events or ceremonies. Consumers tend to show negative opinions about the pricing, and the inconvenience in cleaning and wearing Hanbok. However, consumers think very highly of the aesthetic values, the gracious styles, and the iconic identity of nationalism of Hanbok. This study suggests that Hanbok for modern consumers should be considered as clothing for a ritual, rather than clothing to reconstruct to be fitted to modern daily lives. Hanbok should be promoted as part of up-scaled and differentiated traditional cultures, as clothing that represents and enhances the traditional elegance and beauty unique to the Korean people.
