In Beijing 2022, South Korea is enraged by cultural appropriation and “biased judgments”

By Mia Stevens

Although Korea won its first gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics last week, the victory came amid a dispute with China over alleged cultural misappropriation and “biased judgment” during the Winter Games.

Relations between the two countries have been difficult in recent years, both politically and culturally, and this year’s Games have added to the tensions.

During the opening ceremony, a lady on stage looked to be wearing a traditional Korean hanbok outfit, which has long irritated South Koreans, who believe China is appropriating South Korean culture.

South Korea’s governing Democratic Party issued a statement the next day denouncing China and demanding that it cease “stealing” its “culture.” People in South Korea have also expressed their displeasure on social media.

“I’m mad that they’ve introduced a person wearing hanbok on an international Olympic stage as a Chinese person! I’m mad that they are introducing Korean culture as Chinese to the world,” said Twitter.
And stated by the embassy: “The Korean ethnic group in China and the North and South of the Korean Peninsula are of the same origin and share a common traditional culture, including clothing,” the embassy said, “The so-called ‘cultural project’ and ‘cultural appropriation’ are completely untenable.”