How to Wear the Hanbok

If you are going to wear this hanbok
you must honor its silent rules.
Yes, they are particular and precise
but this is our lineage, our breath.

The jeogori must sit just so across the chest
Your left side should fold over the right—
never the reverse, for that is for the deceased.

Your sleeves must bloom like morning flowers,
the chima skirt should bell outward
a perfect circle when you twirl.

Your hair cannot be loose and wild,
it must be gathered in a neat bun
adorned with binyeo pins that catch the light,
not your light.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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