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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Chinese performer wore a traditional South Korean <keyword id="13178351" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hanbok" source="Orion">hanbok</keyword> during Beijing's opening ceremony.</li><li>Hanboks are known as <keyword id="11944254" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-korea" source="Orion">South Korea</keyword>'s national dress, but <keyword id="11892748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="china" source="Orion">China</keyword> says that because of its sizeable Korean population, it's part of their culture, too. </li></ul>Several South Korean celebrities have found themselves in the middle of an online firestorm and facing a deluge of nationalistic comments from Chinese <keyword id="11895013" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media" source="Orion">social media</keyword> users over a traditional form of clothing — the hanbok.<a href="https://twitter.com/koryodynasty/status/1489779041033138178?s=21">The conflict kicked off when a Chinese performer wore a hanbok</a> — an outfit with a long-sleeved jacket and a voluminous, high-waisted skirt <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/hanbok-an-introduction-to-south-koreas-national-dress/">widely recognized as Korea's national dress</a> — during the Beijing Winter Olympics' opening ceremony on February 4.The Chinese embassy <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3166389/hanbok-years-kimchi-china-denies-cultural-appropriation-over">said that the donning of a hanbok by a Chinese woman was fair game because of the two nation's shared historical origins.</a> South Korean politicians, however, objected strongly to the wearing of the traditional garb, with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-sports-beijing-south-korea-cultures-d10103e005c0edd6eb3b91bcbbe1ae2d">some lawmakers accusing China of using the Olympic stage to lay claim to Korean culture</a>.In the days since the Beijing Opening Ceremony, tensions around the hanbok and who gets to wear it have ratcheted up, with Chinese social media users criticizing South Korean personalities who shared pictures of themselves in the garment. It's unclear that these stars were explicitly commenting on the Olympic's hanbok controversy. Nevertheless, Weibo users attacked South Korean celebs — including <keyword id="11901404" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bts" source="Orion">BTS</keyword>'s Min Yoongi and Korean actress Park Shin Hye — for wearing the garment.<h2>Hanbok-related harassment and calls to be 'canceled'</h2>The hanbok dates back to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/article/3128751/what-hanbok-learn-all-about-koreas-traditional-dress">Korea's Three Kingdoms period (57BC-668AD)</a>, during which the kingdoms occupied the entire Korean Peninsula and a large portion of Manchuria, the latter of which is now located in modern China. While the attire bears some resemblance to the Chinese hanfu — traditionally worn by China's Han ethnic group — there has been heated debate over whether the two garment styles influenced one another.Many <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/09/hanbok-beijing-winter-olympics-opening-sparks-south-korea-chinan-anger">South Koreans saw the inclusion of the hanbok in the Olympics Opening Ceremony as a form of cultural appropriation</a>, viewing it as an <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3166389/hanbok-years-kimchi-china-denies-cultural-appropriation-over">attempt by China to claim vital parts of Korean culture as its own</a>.Responding to the outcry, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chinese-embassy-defends-korean-dress-124218194.html">a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Seoul</a> said in a statement on February 8 that the hanbok belongs to ethnic Koreans everywhere, including those who live in China."It is not only their wish but also their right for representatives of all ethnic groups in China to wear national costumes to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics," said the spokesperson. "The Korean people in China and the north and south of the Korean Peninsula share the same origin and have a common traditional culture including clothing."Around<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/olympics-korea-irked-over-korean-055306785.html"> two million ethnic Koreans live in China</a>, where they receive official protection as a minority group.On February 8, BTS rapper Min Yoongi — better known as Suga — posted an old <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZtdx34p3WR/">picture</a> of himself on Instagram in the gonryongpo, a type of <a href="https://thetalkingcupboard.com/2012/03/03/joseons-court-attire-kdrama-style/">hanbok traditionally worn by Korean kings</a>. In response, some users on Weibo <a href="https://m.weibo.cn/status/4735143594427653?">called for BTS to be "canceled."</a>"This is unforgivable. This man's fans shouldn't even stay in China. Are you even Chinese?" read <a href="https://m.weibo.cn/2155059234/4735026183277805">one Weibo comment</a> calling out Min and the Chinese fans who were defending him.But r Chinese fans were quick to jump to Min's defense."He's Korean. What's wrong with putting up a photo of himself in hanbok? I guess they can't post pictures with clothes and should just upload nudes then," <a href="https://m.weibo.cn/status/4735030847079933?">wrote</a> one Weibo user.Two other Korean pop singers also received a deluge of negative comments for posting pictures of themselves in traditional attire.Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon Kim, who shared a picture of herself on Instagram in a black hanbok dress, <a href="https://www.allkpop.com/article/2022/02/girls-generations-hyoyeon-disables-comments-on-her-instagram-after-chinese-netizens-flood-her-instagram-with-hate-comments">disabled her account's comments section</a> after receiving a wave of hateful comments. Meanwhile, Weibo users slammed K-pop singer Chung Ha <a href="https://m.weibo.cn/6582379577/4736733369864172">for calling the hanbok "Korean traditional attire" during a live stream.</a>South Korean actress <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ3wHWlLoa9/?utm_medium=copy_link">Park Shin Hye</a> posted an image of herself in the hanbok on Instagram with the hashtag #koreantraditionalclothes. As of press time, Park's Instagram post had accumulated close to 60,000 comments — many of them negative. Some commenters <a href="https://www.allkpop.com/article/2022/02/chinese-netizens-terrorize-park-shin-hyes-instagram-for-posting-hanbok">accused her of stealing Chinese culture and cursed her unborn child</a>."In case you didn't learn history, South Korea used to be one of our Chinese vassal states. You are actually Chinese people," read another comment from an Instagram user named Mang Guo Ai Cao Mei. "Vomit. I hope your child won't be like you and might have some morals," wrote another Instagram user with the ID Lanlanlan.The anger towards Park also spilled over into Weibo. "Get lost. I don't care even if I liked you before. You did this to yourself. Get out, bitch," <a href="https://m.weibo.cn/status/4736723681280088?">read one comment</a>. The drama surrounding the hanbok is the latest social media controversy to erupt during the Beijing Games. Last week, Chinese social media users <a href="https://www.insider.com/bts-attacked-by-china-social-media-post-on-korean-olympian-2022-2">attacked BTS leader RM </a> for voicing his apparent support for a South Korean speed skater and <a href="https://www.insider.com/zhu-yi-ice-skater-slammed-china-social-media-fall-2022-2">slammed American-born skater Zhu Yi</a> after she fell during her Olympics debut.A cultural rivalry between South Korea and China also emerged during <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3142240/kimchi-wars-south-korea-attempts-differentiate">last year's "kimchi wars,"</a> in which social media users from both countries engaged in heated exchanges over the origins of the pickled vegetable dish.

South Korean celebs are being attacked by Chinese social media users for posting snaps of themselves wearing the hanbok — a traditional outfit that both South Korea and China claim is theirs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Democratic Rep. Marilyn Strickland from Washington State wore a hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, while being sworn into the 117th <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> on Sunday in Washington, DC.</li><li>The representative told NBC News that one of the reasons she chose to wear the hanbok was to pay homage to her maternal heritage while her mother, Inmin Kim, was watching the ceremony on TV.</li><li>"I knew that she'd be watching, and so I wanted her to see me wearing that, to honor my history and to honor her," Strickland told NBC News. </li><li>Strickland is the first Black congressperson to represent Washington State at the federal level and is one of the first three Korean-American women to serve in the House of Representatives.</li></ul>Democratic Rep. Marilyn Strickland of Washington, one of the first Korean-Americans elected to Congress, honored her heritage and "the importance of diversity" by wearing a traditional Korean hanbok for her swearing-in ceremony on Sunday.Strickland's office said that she is the first representative to be sworn in wearing a Korean hanbok, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/532526-marilyn-strickland-first-woman-sworn-into-congress-wearing-traditional">The Hill</a> reported. In an interview with <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/congresswoman-wears-hanbok-swearing-ceremony-honors-korean-immigrant-mom-n1252786">NBC News</a>, the lawmaker said of the hanbok: "It is something that you wear for a very special occasion. It is very traditional and historic."Strickland shared a picture from the ceremony on <a href="https://twitter.com/RepStricklandWA/status/1345913491186716672?s=20">Twitter</a>, writing: "As a woman of both Korean-American and African-American descent, it was deeply personal to wear my Hanbok, which not only symbolizes my heritage and honors my mother, but also serves as a larger testament to the crucial importance of diversity in our nation, state, and the People's House."The representative, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, told NBC News that one of the reasons she chose to wear the hanbok for the swearing-in ceremony was to honor her maternal heritage. Strickland said that while her mother, Inmin Kim, couldn't travel to see the ceremony in person, she knew that she was watching on TV."I wanted her to see me wearing that, to honor my history and to honor her," Strickland told NBC News. Strickland made history in 2020 when she became one of the first three Korean-American women to be elected to the House of Representatives, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/532526-marilyn-strickland-first-woman-sworn-into-congress-wearing-traditional">according to The Hill</a>. She is also the first Black congressperson to represent Washington State at the federal level.Previously, Strickland served as Tacoma, Washington's first Black mayor, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/523915-strickland-will-be-first-african-american-to-represent-washington-state-in">The Hill</a>.<h2>People took to Twitter to celebrate Strickland's display of pride for her heritage</h2>Users took to Twitter to applaud Strickland after she shared her photo from Sunday's swearing-in ceremony. Some users who identified as Korean-American described the moment as "uplifting" and a moment of representation.<h2>Other lawmakers have honored their heritage by wearing traditional garments while being sworn into Congress</h2>In 2019, then-Democratic Rep. Debra Haaland of New Mexico wore a traditional Native American dress while being sworn into Congress. <a href="https://www.today.com/style/rep-debra-haaland-wears-traditional-native-american-dress-swearing-t146280">Her mother also wore a traditional outfit</a>. Haaland became <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deb-haaland-joe-biden-cabinet-interior-secretary-new-mexico-2020-12">one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress in 2018</a>."As a kid, I never could have imagined today. I will leave the ladder down behind me so girls of color know they can be anything they want to be," Haaland wrote on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLornkguv4/">Instagram</a> in 2019.Also in 2019, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan - who became the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress - <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/04/682110868/congresswoman-tlaib-inspires-palestinian-americans-with-a-dress-and-a-hashtag">wore a traditional Palestinian robe at the swearing-in ceremony</a>, which prompted other Palestinian-American women to share photos of themselves on social media in traditional garments.<div type="image" title="rashida tlaib swearing in" height="683" width="910" msid="80121821" hostid="261"></div>A representative for Strickland did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-style-fashion-statements-2020-11">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is changing the dress code of politics</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-gave-people-look-inside-tote-bag-2020-8">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed people what's inside her trendy tote bag, which has been dubbed the 'Bushwick Birkin'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/cori-bush-congress-thrifted-clothes-secondhand-fashion-2020-11">Incoming Rep. Cori Bush is showing off her thrifted outfits to normalize secondhand fashion on Capitol Hill</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-fashion-political-style-statement-2020-12">12 times celebrities used fashion to make a political statement</a></li></ul>

One of the first Korean-American congresswomen wore a traditional Korean hanbok during her swearing-in ceremony

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Whether it be the áo dài, lehenga choli, or qipao, traditional Asian attire has long histories, and exciting futures.</li><li>In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Insider wants to hear about your favorite piece of cultural attire.</li></ul>From an áo dài to a lehenga choli to a qipao and a hanbok, traditional Asian attire has long histories and exciting futures. They can be seen on the red carpet at the <a href="https://twitter.com/jekkibby2/status/1437603564180758529">Met Gala</a>, they've graced the screen on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/jun/02/maitreyi-ramakrishnan-wearing-a-sari-on-never-have-i-ever-made-me-feel-really-special">hit Netflix shows</a>, and they've been an endless source of inspiration for new designers. Increasingly, designers and stylists alike have been blending cultures and modern trends in homage to all sides of their upbringings.For members of the <keyword id="12368108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aapi" source="Orion">AAPI</keyword> community, traditional clothing can also be a connection to a family history, an expression of self, and a way to celebrate a part of a culture within communities where it doesn't always get to take center stage. In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, Insider wants to celebrate the garments that you love and the stories they hold. Tell us about your favorite piece of cultural attire — where you got it, the history behind it, where do you wear it, and what it means to you. Share your story — and your photos — with Insider, using the Google Form below.

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Insider wants to see your favorite piece of cultural attire

<ul class="summary-list"><li>24-year-old British designer Rebecca got into knitting in 2017 due to a school project.</li><li>She started her brand Dainty Knit in January 2021, and moved to South Korea later that year.</li></ul>When Rebecca first moved to Seoul in 2021, she could only say a few words in Korean.Now, at 24, not only has the Liverpool-born designer worked with various local creatives, she has also knitted stunning one-of-a-kind garments for top celebrities like K-pop boy group SHINee and American influencer Emma Chamberlain.Vibrant color blends and unique retro patterns spun into dainty mini-dresses and two-pieces — Rebecca's handmade knitwear are bold, fun, and full of character.Her independent brand, Dainty Knit, is a one-woman show. She does everything from stock procurement and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/daintyknit/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media marketing</a> to, of course, the knitting itself — all while working as a part-time teacher in South Korea's capital.Most of her pieces are made to order, although a few pre-made pieces are available on her <a href="https://www.depop.com/daintyknit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Depop site</a>. Skirts range from $50 to $300, and her dresses are typically priced around $150. She told Insider she knits an average of 15 to 20 pieces every month.<h2>A life-long tradition inherited from her grandmother</h2><div type="image" title="rebecca dainty knit knitting a pink dress" height="726" width="969" msid="102153279" hostid="261"></div>Rebecca — who requested that Insider not reveal her last name for privacy reasons — studied textiles, art, and design for four years at college, but her love for fashion started even earlier than that. "I'd sew outfits for my Bratz dolls from scrap materials," said Rebecca, reminiscing about her childhood.The knit designer picked up the craft when her fashion tutor suggested it for a school project in 2017."She wanted everyone in the class to have quite diverse projects," Rebecca said, adding that a lot of her classmates were already sewing or embroidering. "'You're good at embroidery and felt-making, so I think you'd be good at knitting, you should try it,'" Rebecca quoted her fashion tutor. So she ended up learning how to knit from her family. "My grandma taught me how to knit and crochet, and I also got help from my mum and auntie," Rebecca said."After I learned, I really fell in love with the craft and stuck with it," she added.For that school project, she made little bikini tops.<h2>From a side hustle to a fast-growing career</h2> Rebecca started selling her hand-knit outfits on Depop during the pandemic in 2020 back in Liverpool, about 200 miles northwest of London. Back then, she was also working as a bartender.In January 2021, she created the Dainty Knit brand, under which she sold her designs in England. Later that year, she moved to South Korea, where she continued expanding her brand while adapting to cultural differences and yarn limitations.Six months after creating Dainty Knit, Rebecca met her first major client — Emma Chamberlain. The American influencer's stylist had chanced upon Dainty Knit's Instagram page, and slid into her DMs for the "Dainty Two-Piece," which costs $155 and took Rebecca 15 hours to make.The following year, Rebecca's designs caught the attention of K-Pop girl group StayC's stylist."At first, they just bought stuff off me. Then they liked my work, so they started asking for custom pieces of my existing designs," said Rebecca, sharing that she's since worked with StayC's stylist about five times. "We kind of have a good business relationship now, so if they ever need custom knitwear, they always come to me," she added. Working with StayC allowed Rebecca to get her name out in the highly-exclusive K-Pop fashion industry, where they rarely work with "outsiders," said Rebecca."I had to build up trust with them first," said Rebecca, adding that over time the K-Pop stylists came to realize she doesn't leak crucial information about upcoming music releases or outfits — a quality that they seek and value — she noted.Her dedication has proven to be worth it, as Rebecca recently clinched her biggest project yet with K-Pop veteran boy group SHINee for their latest music release. She knitted 24 balaclavas — a type of ski mask that exposes only the eyes — for the four singers and their 20 backup dancers. As part of Rebecca's trust agreement within the K-Pop community, she did not share how much she was paid for the project.<h2>An admiration for traditional Korean clothing </h2><div type="image" title="xg chisa and stayc j wearing dainty knit" height="731" width="975" msid="102153282" hostid="261"></div>Immersing herself in a distinct culture has also allowed Rebecca to borrow elements from local traditional folk art and architecture."I also really admire Korean traditional clothing," Rebecca added, sharing that she's used a number of elements inspired by hanbok — Korean traditional clothing. Rebecca added that she's careful not to take too much inspiration from traditional Korean clothing."Since it's a traditional garment, it should be preserved, and I feel that as a foreigner, it is not my place to redesign it," she explained.<h2>Her hometown of Liverpool is a huge source of inspiration</h2><div type="image" title="dainty knit knit outfits on models" height="723" width="964" msid="102153283" hostid="261"></div>"I draw inspiration from Liverpool music acts like The Beatles and Cilla Black, as well as '60s to 2000s fashion in general," said Rebecca, describing her work as "quintessentially British."She added that even her brand logo — a red star with a unique heart symbol in the middle — is a nod to Liverpool."The star comes from 'the White Star Line,' and the heart symbol was a small section I took from the strawberry field's gates — the place that inspired The Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields Forever,'" she said.<h2>What the future holds for Dainty Knit</h2><div type="image" title="K-Pop girl group StayC wearing made-to-order Dainty Knit outfits." height="600" width="1200" msid="102153285" hostid="261"></div>"From what I have witnessed, I don't really think there is much of a knit design industry here per se. It seems to be a very popular hobby," Rebecca said.Unlike in the West where knitwear is more common in the fashion industry — <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/models-are-turning-to-a-new-pastime-knitting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several famous models in Europe have been making them</a> — Rebecca said that making a career out of knitting in South Korea is rare. "I've seen a few people try to do what I'm doing, but it's just not really working for them. I guess I just got lucky. And maybe my designs set me apart," said Rebecca, adding that her niche aesthetic helps her stand out in the country's largely homogeneous fashion styles and relatively muted color palettes.Knit garments — particularly in Rebecca's style — are also not as common, which makes them stand out further, according to professional street fashion photographer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgWlHVduJFt/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Michael Hurt</a>. Dr. Hurt earned his <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=80c8aa75b63fc8c5217438713d45593c04fc6dfbbe61b6a0ec168cfa6a3654f5&amp;postID=64b640b5c7f3f07e7745e774&amp;site=in&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmichael-hurt-phd-55880718%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dkr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doctorate from UC Berkeley's Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies</a> and runs the Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/seoulstreetstudios/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@seoulstreetstudios.</a> He told Insider he had worked with Rebecca about seven times. "Usually, knitting is what grandmas and old people do," Dr. Hurt told Insider. Dr. Hurt has taught cultural theory and art history at Korea National University of the Arts for the last four years."But she is making cute mini dresses, crop tops — stuff that is very trendy, and it being knit makes it stand out," said Dr. Hurt about Rebecca.Although it's hard to envision how South Korea's knit design industry may grow in the future, for now Rebecca said she's just happy to be a member of the local knit community. She will soon be working for a local knit platform, <a href="https://nakyang.store/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nakyang Store</a>, as a creator."I'm enjoying the knitwear hobbyist community," said Rebecca, "it's very supportive, and it's wonderful to be a part of that."

A school project got her into knitting 6 years ago. Now, she's making stunning knitwear for celebrities like Emma Chamberlain and K-Pop veteran boy group SHINee.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>For centuries, Asian <keyword id="11893303" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fashion" source="Orion">fashion</keyword> has been appropriated by Western designers.</li><li>Asian American designers talked to Insider about how traditional garments influenced their works, from the cheongsam to the áo dài to the kurta.</li></ul>Áo dàis, cheongsams, samfus, and hanboks aren't only reserved for Lunar New Year anymore.Representative Marilyn Strickland wore a hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, as she was sworn into Congress in 2021.Actress Kelly Marie Tran, who has starred in movies like "Raya and the Last Dragon" and the Star Wars franchise, graced the 2022 Oscars red carpet in a glimmering emerald áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese dress."To have my name authentically 'Thai Nguyen' and then having that áo dài on the world's biggest red carpet, it's proud," the dress's designer, Thai Nguyen, told Insider. Having that kind of authentic representation on a red carpet can have lasting <keyword id="14138453" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ripple-effects" source="Orion">ripple effects</keyword>. Nguyen said when a follower's daughter first saw Tran wearing an áo dài to the 2021 virtual "Raya" premiere, she instantly grabbed her own áo dài from her closet. Her mother said she didn't want to wear Cinderella dresses anymore. "It woke me up, and it woke our community up," Nguyen said.<div type="image" title="A model wears an outfit designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior's Spring-Summer 2003 Haute Couture collection" height="1484" width="1979" msid="92813303" hostid="261" sizebytes="276180"></div><h2>Cultural appropriation of Asian fashion has existed for centuries</h2>Throughout history, Western nations and luxury fashion houses have fetishized Asian cultures through their garments. That hasn't stopped in recent years.Until 2020, retailer Pretty Little Thing's website sorted qipaos complete with <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.prettylittlething.us%2Fpetite-black-thigh-split-oriental-jumpsuit.html%3Futm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_campaign%3Dgoogle_shopping_usa%26utm_content%3Dusa%26utm_term%3Dproduct_target%26istCompanyId%3Db972e4de-de58-4ac9-9a3c-d255a815fef9%26istFeedId%3D48a9adb1-6dc5-403b-88e6-f2c612356ac6%26istItemId%3Diwrqwlwmq%26istBid%3Dtzwt%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjw-daUBhCIARIsALbkjSaz1k-tUoVIF7DOOjsMluM_jkg2XACnMyhbFiL-if1FoydYrxO_knIaAoGIEALw_wcB%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds">leg-slits</a> under the "Oriental" category.In the luxury fashion space, Dolce &amp; Gabbana canceled what was to be <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/dolce-gabbana-cancels-shanghai-great-show">the biggest show </a>in the house's 33-year-history after airing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzoxIb2Fa74&amp;t=55s&amp;ab_channel=RheaLi">commercials</a> of a narrator ridiculing an Asian model for using chopsticks to eat pizza and cannoli. During a 2003 Christian Dior show, a white model walked wearing geisha-style makeup and a ballooning, silk dress. That same year, Roberto Cavalli designed a leg-revealing mini qipao — Kim Kardashian would later <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6892405/Kim-Kardashian-shows-legs-eye-catching-heels.html">wear</a> one boarding a plane in 2019. The history of appropriating Asian garments is long. The Silk Road first brought Chinese silk and fabrics <a href="https://wp.nyu.edu/compass/2018/04/24/the-chinoiserie-paradox-fashion-creating-the-self-through-the-other/">to Europe</a> beginning as far back as 130 B.C.E. As centuries went on, European royals and elites would seek out the intricate embroidery for their court dresses and ball gowns. It eventually spun out to create its own, fusionized aesthetic: <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/84062">Chinoiserie.</a><div type="image" title="A woman standing on the red carpet with a mustard color dress and gold design." height="2530" width="3374" msid="92813304" hostid="261" sizebytes="567826"></div><h2>A history in seams</h2>After creating the gown that rocked 2015's Met Gala, Guo Pei became a global name. Photos of Rihanna wearing the yellow, fur-lined dress with a 16-foot-train took over the internet, making the Chinese designer a hot topic.Pei spent her decades-long career reviving China's revered art of embroidery — which, under the Cultural Revolution, was forbidden in the country — stitching dizzying threads etching what she calls the "DNA of a nation" into her work. "The embroidery and skillset involved is not necessarily just some sort of a rote recovery of the past, but it also is a combination with my own imagination and also a connection to the textile culture of the world," Pei told Insider, through a translator.Rihanna's 2015 Met Gala dress weighed 55 pounds. The threads themselves took over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/oct/18/guo-pei-chinese-designer-who-made-rihanna-omelette-dress">50,000 hours</a> of hand embroidery to make."It carries thoughts and spirits of the Chinese people. And it also is one of the languages of the culture that I was born and grew up in," Pei said.<h2>A symbol of women's liberation gets a modern twist</h2>Like Pei, Cheryl Leung draws on Chinese tradition through her fashion label, Sau Lee. "I was really just inspired by my upbringing in Hong Kong," Leung told Insider. "It was actually over the years that I really developed a sense of wanting to represent my culture and realizing that I'm not seeing it anywhere."While Leung emphasized there are other retailers who create traditional cheongsams — a close-fitting dress style that <a href="https://philstarlife.com/geeky/428796-the-history-and-politics-of-the-cheongsam?page=2">originated</a> in 1920s Shanghai as a symbol of women's liberation — her label aspired to "add cheongsam elements to international designs." The cheongsam is one of the most appropriated pieces of traditional Asian clothing. Thus, Leung said it's important her designs avoid evoking fetishized stereotypes. "I wouldn't design anything that I wouldn't wear as an Asian woman," Leung said. Her spin on modernizing the garment might mean using jacquard in lieu of the traditional embroidered silk, or attaching buttons in an asymmetric silhouette. These modern pieces have become Sau Lee's best-sellers."It is so empowering that these Eastern designs are so widely appreciated," Leung told Insider.<h2>'Code-flexing'</h2>Nyla Hasan's brand, the øther, was born to challenge strict, cultural boundaries. Inspired by Hasan's South Asian roots, the brand brings kurtas — a loose, collarless tunic — to everyday, Western fashion. "The øther kind of came from this amalgamation exploring identity, what it means to be mixed, what it means to be American," Hasan told Insider.<div type="image" title="Nyla Hassan" height="2927" width="3896" msid="92813305" hostid="261" sizebytes="1171188"></div>Hasan returned to the United States after the events of September 11th. After she finished her schooling, Hasan said, she had "a little bit of an edge where I didn't give a shit if I belonged or not."She began wearing kurtas and jeans to school, popular among South Asian teens.While a traditional kurta is often simple and boxy, Hasan's version plays with garment, adding silk, high-low shirttails, or fully-split sides. One of Hasan's kurtas even includes a hidden belt. Hasan said she sees the øther as her way of "code-flexing" — as she describes, "the harmonious state of being, not conforming to a space, but choosing how to flex our identity in the spaces we exist in."<h2>No longer 'too' anything</h2>As one of the few Vietnamese designers in high fashion, Nguyen said he is "proud, proud, proud." But, only five years ago, he said he would struggle to say the same. After leaving his job at the fashion brand BCBG, Nguyen said he was constantly shut down for not following "mainstream rules.""I wanted to follow my roots," Nguyen said. "I wanted to put the áo dài in my collection. And then they'll be like, 'No, that's too ethnic. That's too Vietnamese.'" The Vietnamese dress is similar to a cheongsam, but is worn with long pants and features a full side-slit.Now, Nguyen designs gowns for the likes of Ariana Grande, Sarah Hyland, and Laverne Cox, to name a few. His Hollywood looks, while Western, present subtle nods to the áo dài: a high, collared neck and full sleeves, a long, straight skirt. Nguyen says his pieces are the "East silhouette with Western fabrication." To Nguyen, the áo dài is contemporary.Of wearing áo dài to an event, Nguyen said "I don't want people to have that question anymore."<h2>Updating 'Grandma's favorite wardrobe staple'</h2>Trixie Chua, co-founder of dear samfu, found inspiration in her grandmother's wardrobe."Asian women of the past used to wear [samfus] a lot, but it's not so well-known," Chua told Insider. "So we decided to really shine a spotlight on it."<div type="image" title="Trixie Chua's grandmother (left) wearing a samfu" height="2488" width="1472" msid="92813306" hostid="261" sizebytes="271132"></div>"Samfu" simply means shirt and pants. The timelessness of this Chinese fashion staple is the foundation for the brand. It's a comfortable version of the "t-shirt and jeans." More deeply than the simplicity, Chua said dear samfu celebrates heritage. Not only is the brand dedicated to "grandma's fashion" creatively, it is also sustainable. Sustainability, Chua said, before it became a buzzword, was practiced by her ancestors. Cathay Liu, a dear samfu customer, purchased her piece because it was an homage to her Chinese heritage."As I get older, I'm embracing my Chinese heritage more. And so just being able to wear something like a samfu out in public is something that I'm glad I can do now," Liu told Insider.Liu posts collections of her daily outfits on <a href="https://instagram.com/antinakedclub?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=">Instagram</a> — many posts featuring the samfu."Over time, I've just noticed there's such a lack of Asian-inspired clothing in the Western world. And so I really wanna be able to promote it when I can to other people," Liu said.

How 5 Asian designers are reimagining traditional designs into modern fashion

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1928379" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sandra-Oh">Sandra Oh</keyword> sent a powerful message through her fashion during the virtual 2020 Emmys on Sunday. </li><li>Oh wore a custom KORELIMITED bomber jacket with the words "Black Lives Are Precious" written in Korean. </li><li>The reversible jacket also had the dashes of the Korean flag and the national flower of Korea embroidered on the front, paying homage to Oh's heritage.</li><li>Oh's jacket and matching mask are now both available for purchase on <a href="https://korelimited.com/collections/new">KORELIMITED</a>. </li></ul>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/emmys-2020">2020 Emmys</a> may not have had a <keyword id="6360359" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Red-carpet">red carpet</keyword>, but Sandra Oh still sent a powerful message through her <a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-zendaya-style-virtual-awards-show-2020-9">awards show fashion</a>. Oh sported a purple <a href="https://korelimited.com/">KORELIMITED</a> silk bomber jacket for <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-wearing-pajamas-emmy-awards-2020-9">the virtual ceremony on Sunday</a>, and the design paid tribute to both her Korean heritage <a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-regina-king-wears-breonna-taylor-t-shirt-2020-9">and the Black Lives Matter movement</a>. Embroidered on the front of the reversible jacket are the words "Black Lives Are Precious," written in Korean. Oh told <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/sandra-oh-emmys-2020">Vogue UK</a>'s Hayley Maitland that she chose the word "precious" because "the literal translation of <keyword id="2771111" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="black-lives-matter">Black Lives Matter</keyword> is impossible in Korean" due to the way the characters are read from top to bottom and right to left.The "Killing Eve" star also revealed that she chose the jacket's royal purple hue because it's "a super Korean color and brings a certain mindset for me," and noted that the bomber also has the dashes of the Korean flag and the national flower of Korea. Oh's KORELIMITED bomber jacket can be purchased <a href="https://korelimited.com/collections/new">on the brand's site</a> for $375. Her <a href="https://korelimited.com/collections/new/products/blm-fask-mask-lavender">matching mask</a> is also being sold for $24. The products come in both <a href="https://korelimited.com/collections/new/products/blm-cropped-bomber-jacket-purple">lavender</a> and <a href="https://korelimited.com/collections/new/products/blm-reversible-bomber-jacket-black">black</a> (the lavender bomber has a cropped fit, while the black jacket is unisex) and a portion of the proceeds will go towards the nonprofits <a href="https://www.joincampaignzero.org/">Campaign Zero</a> and <a href="https://www.blackgirlscode.com/">Black Girls Code</a> — both of which Oh had chosen to support. <a href="https://www.insider.com/2020-emmy-nominees-winners-list-2020-7">Emmys attendees</a> were informed in July <a href="https://www.insider.com/emmy-awards-what-celebrities-wore-photos-2020-9">that the virtual show's dress code would be</a> "come as you are, but make an effort!" Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality were spreading across the US, and Oh said she knew she wanted to wear "fashion that's important and sends the right message." "These are unusual times," she told Vogue UK. "And, in a lot of ways, it's been an extremely creative one. We're having to reconsider the whole system of awards shows and fashion and red carpets. Everybody's used to having relationships and fittings with designers of certain prominence — and this shift has forced me to reflect on who I am and how I express myself through clothes." <div type="image" title="Sandra Oh Emmys 2020" height="1394" width="728" msid="78243087" hostid="261"></div>"After George Floyd's death and the protests that followed, I felt that as an Asian-American, a Korean-American person, I wanted to express my support for the Black community in a way that felt personal to my community," she added.One of Oh's friends told her about designer Matthew Kim's brand KORELIMITED, which is based in Los Angeles. Oh then reached out to her stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman, and said she wanted to work with Kim for her Emmys look. KORELIMITED shared more details about the collaboration <a href="https://korelimited.com/blogs/korelimited/sandra-oh-honored-with-nominations-at-emmys-and-behind-our-collab">on its blog</a>, revealing that the brand wanted to create something that would "bolster visibility" of the Black Lives Matter movement. <div type="image" title="Sandra Oh 2020 Emmys" height="1394" width="750" msid="78243089" hostid="261"></div>The brand said it was also excited to work with Oh and was inspired by "her fearlessness." "In the past, Oh mentioned the importance of preserving her identity as a woman of Korean descent in the less-than-diverse entertainment industry," the post read. "As our brand name stands for 'Keepin' Our Roots Eternal,' we found the idea of working with someone who shares a similar vision with us as a brand an amazing opportunity to create something unlike anything we had done before."Representatives for Elizabeth Saltzman and KORELIMITED did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.<h2><a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/sandra-oh-emmys-2020">Read the full story on Vogue UK</a></h2><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-regina-king-wears-breonna-taylor-t-shirt-2020-9">Regina King paid tribute to Breonna Taylor by wearing a 'Say Her Name' T-shirt to the Emmys</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-zendaya-wears-gown-for-virtual-show-2020-9">Zendaya wore an elegant dress with a plunging neckline for the virtual Emmys, and promised it wouldn't be the only look of the night</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/emmy-awards-what-celebrities-wore-photos-2020-9">What celebrities wore to the virtual Emmy Awards</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-wearing-pajamas-emmy-awards-2020-9">All the celebrities who wore pajamas from the comfort of their homes for the virtual Emmys</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/emmys-red-carpet-style-evolution-2019-9">50 of the most incredible celebrity style transformations on the Emmys red carpet</a></li></ul>

Sandra Oh's custom Emmys jacket had a special message honoring Black Lives Matter weaved into the fabric

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14010053" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="filmmaker" source="Orion">Filmmaker</keyword> Justin Chon has spun emotional tales in several indie darlings over his two-decade-long career.</li><li>The "Pachinko" director made it his mission to make his Asian American centered narratives relatable to all.</li></ul>Director, actor, and screenwriter Justin Chon is putting in the work to break Asian American cinema into the mainstream.After 21 years in the <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> industry, the award-winning Korean American filmmaker has spun poignant tales and compelling narratives centered on Asian American and Pacific Islander (<keyword id="12368108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aapi" source="Orion">AAPI</keyword>) characters."I'm so yearning to watch Asian American films that just show us trying to just get on with it and not making our culture the main focus of the film," Chon said in an interview with Insider."Of course you can never separate ourselves from our Asian heritage—nor should we—but in my normal life, as an Asian American, I'm not dressing up in a hanbok, you know what I mean?" he added, referring to the traditional Korean clothing. "Sometimes I'm just an American, that'd be really great just to see our faces represented that way as well."In the interview, Chon reflected on his career to date and the tenets he stands by when crafting a story, both in front of and behind the camera."I have a few pillars and reasons why I create. First and foremost is to bring empathy and understanding to my community, the Asian American Pacific Islander community, so everything I do has an element of that," Chon said. "And secondly, I really want to show how we can all coexist in this country."<div type="image" title="Blue Bayou" height="1200" width="1600" msid="91749844" hostid="261"></div>"I'm trying to show how we're all a lot more alike than different because I think that's what the Asian American community needs—to be recognized as living, breathing humans," he added. "For so long, we've just kind of been relegated to white noise. And I think we're living in a time where people are open to find out more about us."Chon creates those educational experiences by placing a spotlight on issues and struggles familiar to those in the Asian community in the projects he works on—from filial piety to transgenerational trauma to intersectionality.In "Pachinko" (2022), co-directed by Chon, the Apple+ original drama series explores the cultural dynamics and tensions between Koreans and Japanese. In "Blue Bayou" (2021), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Chon sheds a spotlight the deportation of immigrant adoptees in the US. In "Gook" (2017), written, directed, and starring Chon, he explores the relationships between the Korean and African American communities amid the backdrop of the Los Angeles riots in 1992.<h2>Crafting AAPI-centered narratives that are universally relatable</h2>Though his projects primarily center around Asian characters, Chon aims to make the narratives universally relatable by tapping into "fundamental human commonalities.""That's why I'm able to tell a story like 'Pachinko,'" Chon said. "I didn't grow up in Korea, and I'm also not an immigrant to Japan. I'll never understand what that feels like to feel othered while still looking at people that still have the same color skin. But I can relate to the human elements of having sacrifices from previous generations and cultural baggage, and the haunting of transgressions of the past and inheriting that.""We all have felt love and friendship and hatred and betrayal and those things, I think, it doesn't matter who you are, you can relate to," he added.Over the years, Chon has offered his own temperature check of the industry in terms of diversity and AAPI representation. But at the end of the day, he said "just talking about what's wrong or my thoughts on [representation] is not really helpful because it's just an echo chamber."<div type="image" title="Justin Chon, Jackie Chung and Wayne Wang" height="1249" width="2500" msid="91749845" hostid="261"></div>"I think what needs to be actioned on immediately is getting <keyword id="12375512" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="asian-americans" source="Orion">Asian Americans</keyword>, our representation, our place into the fabric of storytelling in the United States," he said.In 2019, Chon starred as the main protagonist in "Coming Home Again," based on a 1995 New Yorker essay by Korean American novelist Chang-Rae Lee about the author returning home to San Francisco to take care of his ailing mother who was diagnosed stomach cancer. The film was directed by "The Joy Luck Club" director Wayne Wang, whom Chon hailed as a "punk rock pioneer of Asian American film."Chon also praised the storytelling in "Minari" (2020), starring Academy award-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung, which tells the story of a Korean-American immigrant family living on an Arkansas farm."It just felt authentic and real because these stories do exist, and I just felt like it was sort of as American as you can get," Chon said.<h2>Controlling the change he wants to see in Hollywood</h2>Instead of simply observing the shift in the industry as a whole, Chon said he focuses his efforts on what he can do to further AAPI representation in Hollywood."I don't have all the focus and energy in the world to worry about things that I can't control. What I can control and what I can put my energy entirely on is what I create. But what Hollywood does, who the fuck knows?" Chon said. "Their decisions are obviously very monetarily driven, and I can't control them. I can control how my movies are made and what matters to me—that I get things authentic and I don't compromise how we're represented on screen."<div type="image" title="Justin Chon accepts the Next Award for the film &quot;Gook&quot;" height="1798" width="2397" msid="91749846" hostid="261"></div>Chon, who funded his first few films out-of-pocket, was steadfast in his pursuit to be the change he wanted to see in the entertainment industry."Nobody gave me those opportunities—I forced my way in," he said. "With 'Gook' and 'Ms. Purple,' I made it for nothing. I made it for literally nothing." Both films went on to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 and 2019, respectively.The filmmaker said the goal shouldn't just be getting a seat at the table in Hollywood, but rather flipping the table entirely. "You kind of have to be fearless and take chances in order for things to change," he said. "Because when you have to ask for permission, there's a gatekeeper or someone telling you can or cannot do something, you're not in the driver's seat."Though Chon acknowledged the recent acclaim garnered by Asian films and television by US audiences, such as the Korean-language Netflix original "Squid Game" (2021) and Academy Award-winning Korean-language film "Parasite" (2019), directed by Bong Joon Ho, he noted that Asian American narratives still have yet to have their time in the sun."These filmmakers, like Bong Joon Ho, they were able to do it on their terms in their home countries," he said. "We need to do that here."

'We cannot wait for the industry to give us permission': Filmmaker Justin Chon on telling Asian American stories in Hollywood

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Christina Haswood was sworn into the Kansas House of Representatives wearing traditional Navajo attire. </li><li>Haswood told Insider she wore a velveteen skirt and blouse her mom and partner helped her make. </li><li>Her jewelry and accessories were either gifted to her or passed down by other family members. </li></ul>Christina Haswood knew she wanted to add to the significance of her first swearing-in ceremony by wearing something that represented her Indigenous culture.On Monday, the 26-year-old was sworn into the Kansas House of Representatives wearing a traditional Navajo outfit that included moccasins, a velveteen skirt, and a red blouse with silver embellishments that her mom and partner helped her make. "By wearing pieces that were made by my family and people who loved me and helped me out through this weird journey of being a politician, it really felt like they were there with me even though they couldn't be," Haswood told Insider, adding that only one person was able to join her for the ceremony due to COVID-19 guidelines. Haswood is <a href="https://www.haswoodforkansas.com/about">one of the youngest members of the Kansas legislature</a>, as well as the third Native American member elected in its history.Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-style-fashion-statements-2020-11">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is changing the dress code of politics</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-style-fashion-statements-2020-11"></a><h2>Every part of Haswood's outfit was a deliberate choice</h2>She wore red to match her mentor and colleague, Rep. Dr. Ponka-We Victors, who also incorporated the color into her outfit. <a href="https://www.today.com/news/kansas-lawmaker-sworn-office-wearing-traditional-navajo-dress-t205748">Haswood told TODAY</a> that the color "symbolized the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples epidemic," and that she and Dr. Victors <a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hb2008_00_0000.pdf">have introduced a bill</a> providing for the attorney general to coordinate training for law enforcement agencies on missing and murdered Indigenous people.The ribbons on Haswood's skirt are also similar to the colors featured on the Navajo Nation's tribal flag. <div type="image" title="christina haswood and Dr. Ponka We Victors" height="2667" width="2000" msid="80295329" hostid="261"></div>Haswood paired her skirt and blouse with jewelry that was either gifted to her or passed down by her family. For the ceremony, she wore a necklace, a sash belt, a buckled belt that was given to her by her shimá sání (grandmother), earrings passed down to her by her great-grandmother, and a tsiiyéé (Navajo-style hair tie) that Haswood and her shimá sání made together."Wearing all the pieces and standing in an environment like the state House Chamber, I just think back to all the sacrifices my ancestors and the Indigenous people made for us to have the right to vote, the right to citizenship, and so much more," Haswood told Insider. "When I was standing there in my traditional regalia, it was about not only providing myself with that strength, but also being a visual representation for everybody there that Indigenous people are here, and here to stay," she added. <div type="image" title="christina haswood swearing in ceremony 2021.JPG" height="767" width="1023" msid="80295330" hostid="261"></div>Haswood gave her TikTok followers a closer look at how she got ready for the swearing-in ceremony, thanks to some help from her mom and grandmother. "My mom made my outfit, so I wanted to make sure that what she envisioned for me was done right," she said. "I haven't really had time to reflect on it but saying it out loud right now is really such a powerful moment to see three generations of women on a TikTok." Haswood told Insider she plans to continue wearing traditional outfits like the one she wore for her swearing-in ceremony to meetings. For instance, she said she might mix a tiered skirt with a business casual top."I always want to bring that representation," she said. "I want to pay respects to our cultural attire and get everybody familiarized with it. I believe our cultural attire is beautiful." "I would like for people who've seen me in this outfit to know that we belong in these spaces and to see themselves in me," Haswood added. <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/congress-rep-marilyn-strickland-korean-hanbok-swearing-in-ceremony-2021-1">One of the first Korean-American congresswomen wore a traditional Korean hanbok during her swearing-in ceremony</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-fashion-political-style-statement-2020-12">12 times celebrities used fashion to make a political statement</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-style-fashion-statements-2020-11">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is changing the dress code of politics</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/cori-bush-congress-thrifted-clothes-secondhand-fashion-2020-11">Rep. Cori Bush is showing off her thrifted outfits to normalize secondhand fashion on Capitol Hill</a></li></ul>

A Kansas representative wore a traditional Navajo outfit to her swearing-in ceremony

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Many developed economies are facing demographic problems. But one case that stands out is South Korea. Not only is the population aging (like in Japan and the US), but birth rates are falling and women are increasingly less inclined to get married.In 2013, the country's birth rate plummeted to the <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/08/26/south-korea-birthrate-hits-lowest-on-record/">lowest level on record</a>: only 8.6 babies per 1,000 South Koreans were born, and the total number of births fell by 9.9% to the second lowest number on record.Furthermore, a government survey of respondents aged 9 to 24 showed that only 45.6% of women "said marriage was something they should do in life," considerably lower than the 62.9% of men, according to the <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2015/06/18-korea-faces-demographic-crisis-moon">Brookings Institute</a>.Overall, the average South Korean woman is expected to give birth to 1.187 babies in her lifetime - the fifth lowest <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/08/26/south-korea-birthrate-hits-lowest-on-record/">fertility in the world</a>."A 2014 study commissioned by the national legislature concluded that South Koreans could 'face natural extinction by 2750 if the birthrate were maintained at 1.19 children per woman - assuming no reunification with North Korea or significant inflow of migrants," according to the <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2015/06/18-korea-faces-demographic-crisis-moon">Brookings Institute</a>, citing data from a <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/08/25/south-korea-to-go-extinct-by-2750/">simulation commissioned by</a> the National Assembly in Seoul.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>According to <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/08/25/south-korea-to-go-extinct-by-2750/">that simulation</a>, South Korea's current population of <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL">50.2 million</a> could fall to 20 million by the end of the century. The second largest city, Busan, will "go extinct" by 2413, while the capital, Seoul, will go by 2505.(It is important to keep in mind that this is a demographic forecast 735 years into the future, so - to keep it simple - there is a lot of uncertainty in the projections and there will definitely be other variables that affect South Korea's demographics positively and negatively.)However, there is another factor to consider: "mixed ethnic families" - where one parent is Korean (usually the father) and the other is not (usually the mother, from China, Vietnam or the Philippines).Notably, the birth rate for children of immigrant mothers is higher than that of native Korean women. The number of school-age children from "mixed ethnic families" went up seven times from 2014 to 2006, and the number of adolescents from "mixed ethnic families" increased by 21% from 2013 to 2014.<a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2015/06/18-korea-faces-demographic-crisis-moon">As Katharine H.S. Moon writes for Brookings</a>:The face of the homogeneous South Korea we once knew is literally changing before our eyes as hundreds of thousands of foreign-born women marry Korean men and become Korean citizens and their multiracial/multi-ethnic children increase in numbers. An estimated third of all children born in 2020 (1.67 million) are expected to be of part Korean and part other Asian descent ("Kosian"), composing 3.3% of the total population. By 2020 and 2030 respectively, an estimated 5% and 10% of the South Korean population will be composed of foreign-born and immigrant families.More immigrants would be good news for the Korean labor force, which is expected peak in 2016-2017. A report from December 2014 by the <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/12/15/immigration-needed-to-bolster-workforce-study-says/">Korea Economic Research Institute</a> even concluded that Korea needs as a many as 15 million immigrants (one-third of its population) by 2060 "to make up for a shrinking workforce and sustain growth."And, as an interesting note from the culture angle, while from 2005-2010 80% of South Koreans believed that a Korean bloodline was essential to the "being Korean," that number fell to 65.8% by 2013. The government is now even planning to make elementary school textbooks with "bi-ethnic/bi-racial children and multicultural families," according to <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2015/06/18-korea-faces-demographic-crisis-moon">Brookings</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-models-pose-with-bear-2015-4">Two models in Russia just posed with a 1,400-pound bear</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="dobDNwdDrBMVZujpjC92M8SlR9FEI06Y" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

South Koreans could be extinct by 2750

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right" style="width:430px"><div class="image">RedditJoo Yang</div></div>Life inside a communist country with a controlling dictator for a leader is not only suffocating and dangerous; it's also vastly different from life in developed countries elsewhere across the globe.
Joo Yang, who defected from North Korea in 2010, <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/27c3sc/i_am_joo_yang_a_north_korean_defector_ama/">did an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit</a> Wednesday and explained what it was like to leave the oppressive country and experience life in the outside world.
North Korean defectors have to escape the country covertly. Some of them were basically brainwashed by propaganda growing up - one defector who <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/north-korean-defector-says-she-believed-kim-jongil-was-a-god-who-could-read-her-mind-9251983.html">spoke to UK newspaper The Independent</a> said she was raised to believe that Kim Jong-il was a god who could read her mind.
Yang joined her family in South Korea in 2011. An NGO helped her travel through a "modern-day underground railroad" to escape North Korea.
Here are some of the observations she made about life in North Korea versus life on the outside:
Q: You say that your parents defected first. Did the North Korean government know about this and did you face any repercussions?
In North Korea, it's very hard to know the weather forecast because of frequent power cuts, unlike in South Korea.
So we made a cover story that my father had died at sea and my mother and other family members had left our house to try to find any remains of my father.
So I was in our house by myself, but the secret police came to ask me questions. I stuck to the story and told them that my family had become separated, and stonewalled their questions.
I knew that the secret police used people in the neighborhood to monitor my behavior, but I just pretended not to notice and carried on living my life. 
Q: What was it like to go from a world with very little of today's modern technology to a world with the Internet and its capabilities to connect you with people and information all over the world?
First it was kind of like arriving in the modern world in a time machine.
There were so many things I didn't know, but as I learnt one thing after another by trying them, that was really fun.
Even typing on a computer was really novel and fun at first.
It's been three years, but even now there's still a lot of new things. 
Q: What kind of feelings did you have when you arrived in South Korea and saw the quality of life that many people have? How did you adjust to this?
When I got here I felt like South Koreans could eat the kind of food that North Koreans eat on special occasions (??, festival days) even every day.
Most ordinary North Koreans eat 'corn-rice' as their staple food, but that is rough. But on special days like Kim Il-sung's birthday some people can eat white rice. In fact some people can't even eat white rice on those special days.
But in South Korea, even homeless people eat white rice!
As for how I adjusted... well it tastes pretty good, so I'm adjusting well! Even though sometimes I miss North Korean food too... 
Q: How are North Korean weddings celebrated?
North Korean women really want to enjoy romance.
In North Korea we wear traditional Korean-style clothes for wedding dresses (Joson-ot, or "hanbok" in South Korea), but more recently because of the effects of foreign media, some North Korean women want to wear a white wedding dress at their wedding!
But that has not been possible in North Korea yet. So people are adapting the traditional style wedding dress and making it look more beautiful.
Another thing is that normally the wedding ceremony is done in the house of the groom and the bride, once each. But if it's too expensive to get all the food for that, then sometimes they combine it and just do it once in one side's house. 
Q: What's the hardest thing you've had to adjust to? How shocked were you when you realized the DPRK propaganda was (for the most part), entirely false?
There were a lot of new culture shocks to get used to and understand, for instance toilets and ATMs, and using an electronic card to ride the subway... Escalators, elevators, all of those things. haha.
And in South Korea they use a lot of 'Konglish', or borrowed words, so I had to get used to that.
Q: Wow. Toilets? That's surprising. I thought North Koreans (for the most part), had running water. Does it only exist in Pyongyang?
In North Korea, I never saw a sit-down toilet. We always used squat toilets.
So when I first saw a sit-down toilet when I was in China, I didn't know what to do. I actually climbed up and used it as if it was a squat toilet.
When I was in the South Korean National Intelligence Service debriefing facility [that all NKorean defectors go through] the South Korean officials used to plead with the defectors not to climb up on the toilet seat, but many defectors still wanted to because they felt they couldn't go to the toilet otherwise! hahaha
If you ask any North Korean defector, they will also know what you mean if you say "bidet shower". That's because we've all experienced making the mistake of using a bidet wrong the first time we saw one, and getting water all over ourselves. I did that once too. But now we have a bidet in my house! 
Q: Do the people of North Korea really believe that Kim Jong Il and his father and grandfather actually have superhuman powers or do they just say they do out of fear?
I think that people believe it kind of like people believe in the bible. Well, that's the case for children.
But when you grow up, you realise those stories do not make sense, but you still have to memorize it well for the school tests in order to graduate from school well.
More recently, amongst close friends, people will complain that this kind of ideological education will not actually help you in your life. I felt like that too.

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