Juche

    Leader Kim Jong Il said that the Korean nation is a sagacious and patriotic nation that has lived harmoniously in one country with one blood and one language creating long history and culture from olden times.

    The world people appreciate the Korean chima (skirt) and jogori (coat) for its unique, graceful forms and rich national color. It is one of the proud heritages of our nation together with its long history of 5,000 years and resourceful culture.

    The chima and jogori, traditional national costume of the Korean women, have several merits because of its gracefulness and convenience. It was continuously developed according to the lofty feelings and aesthetic tastes of our women for a long time.

    Historically, the length of the Korean chima and jogori in its form was gradually varied inversely.

    According to the records, the chima was called “Kun” or “Sang” until the period of Koryo, but called “Jokma” from the early 15^th century of Ri Dynasty. It is in “Hunmongjahoi” published in 1527 that we first found the term chima. As seen in the Koguryo tomb murals, the Korean women wore long jogori with pleated chima folding in pleats from the waist to the lower tuck and wide chima folding in pleats only in the waist in the period of Three Kingdoms.

    In the period of Koryo, pleated chima was gradually vanished and they wore wide chima that developed in the trend of fixing the chima not from the waist but from the breasts.

    “Koryo Togyong” which was published in the 12^th century described that the chima was tightened under the armpit in the period of Koryo. The chima was developed in its forms and kinds in a more diverse way during Ri Dynasty. It included, short chima and apron, Suran and Taeran chima which were ceremonial dresses embroidered and gold plated under the tuck of the chimas, and underwear chimas like Mujigi.

    Unlike chima, jogori became short in their length. Jogori was tied with belt around the waist during the period of Three Kingdoms. But it began to get shorter from the period of Palhae and later Silla and in this period many changes were made to the forms of today like breast-tie instead of waist belt, collar and collar strip instead of hem.

    Like this, the Korean chima and jogori developed through long historical process is widely known as one of the most beautiful national costume in the world in its unique form, pattern and color.

    The Korean chima and jogori is very graceful and beautiful in its form. From olden times, their apparent characteristic was short jogori and long chima that gives stable and elegant feeling especially for Korean women.

    Although there are big differences in the length of chima and jogori, the Korean chima and jogori gives harmonious and stable feelings. This is because two wide sleeves with curve and two-ply long breast-tie add jogori’s dimension and weight.

    Unlike a suit which vividly shows shape, there is an important apparent characteristic of chima and jogori in emphasizing shape of the cloth and full and slim natural beauty and in harmonizing collar, collar-strip and breast-tie with it. The Korean chima and jogori has many decorating elements like breast-tie and colorful strips of cloth for trimmings and this two-ply long breast-tie is not a simple fixing belt but raising unique and beautiful form characteristic of chima and jogori when it is windy.

    Cloth pattern is also important element, which enhances the beauty of the Korean chima and jogori. The Korean women traditionally liked soft, graceful and delicate patterns, so that they chose pattern with decent colors that harmonizes with cloth ground color. The pattern of chima and jogori in the period of Ri Dynasty is mainly natural plant pattern like flowers and leaves, grass and fruits that can be easily seen in our mountains and fields, thus adding decent natural feelings by dint of its graceful, fine and vivid pattern.

    The story that a famous woman painter Sinsaimdang in the 16^th century surprised people by drawing a bunch of grapes just picked up on the stained silk chima in a minute clearly show beautiful and lofty emotion of our women. The color as well as forms of the clothes is one of the main elements that characterize our nationality. From the olden times, our women who loved lofty and clear, pure and soft beauty, liked to wear light and bright colors of chima and jogori such as pink, purple and yellow in the spring time. And they wore white and light blue colors giving fresh and cool feelings in the summer time, and also chose colors of giving fresh feelings like bellflowers and daisy and resourceful colors like orange and maple in the fall time.

    In the biting wintertime, our women liked to wear warm and mild colors of chima and jogori. They usually wear natural colors like red, yellow and blue in holidays. We can see our nation’s emotion, hobby and way of life even in one color.

    Like this, the Korean chima and jogori suitable to our women in conformity with the lofty national feelings and beautiful natural scenery of our country becomes the symbol of the Korean women, who are lofty, beautiful and diligent with strong in faith and chaste and pride of our nation.