Week 6. My Recent Wikipedia Edits - Jeong seolah (정설아)

I made several edits to the Wikipedia page for 'Hanbok'.

Hanbok is a traditional Korean attire characterized by its vibrant colors, simple lines, and elegant silhouette. It consists of a jeogori (a short jacket with long sleeves) and chima (a wrap-around skirt) for women, while men wear jeogori with baji (loose-fitting trousers). Historically worn as daily clothing, hanbok is now mainly reserved for special occasions such as weddings, holidays, and cultural ceremonies.

With deep cultural significance, hanbok reflects Korea's heritage and aesthetic values. The garments are often adorned with intricate embroidery and symbolic patterns. Although modernized versions of hanbok have gained popularity in recent years, the traditional hanbok remains a cherished symbol of Korean identity.

Below is a summary of the changes I contributed.

1) Summarize and link

1. Changed “a tourist’s wearing of hanbok” → “tourist’s wearing of hanbok”

→ Removed the article “a” to make the phrase more natural and concise in English.

2. Changed “the prominent K-pop artists” → “prominent K-pop artists”

→ Removed “the” to generalize the statement, since it refers to K-pop artists in general, not specific individuals.

3. Changed “has been featured in international haute couture” → “was featured in international haute couture”

→ Adjusted the verb tense from present perfect to simple past, likely to align with a specific past event.

4. Changed “those worn by the aristocratic women” → “those worn by aristocratic women”

→ Removed “the” for smoother, more general phrasing.

5. Changed “a headdress which looked like a chima” → “a headdress that looked like a chima”

→ Replaced “which” with “that” to follow standard usage in defining relative clauses.

6. Changed “ball shaped” → “ball-shaped”

→ Added a hyphen to correctly form a compound adjective.

7. Changed “had son(s)” → “had a son(s)”

→ Inserted “a” to correct the article usage, though the phrasing remains slightly unusual due to “(s).”

8. Changed “The color of chima showed” → “The color of the chima showed”

→ Added “the” for specificity and grammatical completeness.

9. Changed “also adopted a lot hats” → “also adopted a lot of hats”

→ Added the missing preposition “of” to fix grammatical structure.

10. Changed “gat in more informal setting” → “gat in a more informal setting”

→ Added “a” to complete the noun phrase grammatically.

11. Changed “due to the emphasis of Confucian values” → “due to the emphasis on Confucian values”

→ Corrected the preposition from “of” to “on,” which is the standard collocation.

12. Changed “Hats were an essential part formal dress” → “Hats were an essential part of formal dress”

→ Inserted “of” to complete the phrase grammatically.

13. Changed “Hats was an essential part” → “Hats were an essential part”

→ Corrected subject-verb agreement (plural subject needs plural verb).

14. Changed “regardless of their social class, their age and their gender” → “regardless of their social class, age and their gender”

→ Removed the second “their” to reduce redundancy.

15. Changed “only narrow-sleeves traditional overcoat were permitted” → “only narrow-sleeves traditional overcoats were permitted”

→ Fixed noun agreement (singular “overcoat” → plural “overcoats”).

16. Changed “either sides or back” → “either side or back”

→ Changed “sides” to singular “side” to fit the idiomatic structure “either A or B.”

17. Changed “lower part had splits on” → “lower part had split on”

→ Changed plural “splits” to singular “split” likely to reflect the intended meaning.

18. Changed “reached the modern times” → “reached modern times”

→ Removed “the” to follow natural English phrasing. 

19. Changed “customs in the early Joseon” → “customs in early Joseon”

→ Removed “the” for idiomatic expression of historical periods.

20. Changed “typically follows the clothing system” → “typically follow the clothing system”

→ Corrected verb agreement to match the plural subject.

Here is the link. 

Hanbok - Wikipedia

2) Any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

One particularly interesting and somewhat surprising fact I learned is that Joseon-ot, a traditional Korean outfit, is still the official attire for women in North Korea during ceremonies, and its design—especially the black-and-white chima-jeogori style—traces back to the Joseon period. Despite political and economic changes, this style has been maintained as a symbol of the "ideal woman" in North Korean society.

Another unexpected fact was that after the economic crisis in the mid-1990s, North Korean women gained the ability to purchase their own Joseon-ot from private markets and even choose their own colors and designs, showing a rare glimpse of individual choice in a highly controlled society.

Lastly, it was surprising to learn that fashion shows for Joseon-ot are held annually in Pyongyang since 2002, and that there has been an increase in customization shops for traditional clothing—especially as a result of government projects aiming to promote Joseon-ot production in big cities.

3) Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle

- How do minor grammatical issues impact the reader’s trust or understanding when learning about another culture?

- Does inaccurate grammar unintentionally reflect cultural misunderstanding or lack of care, even when the content is factually correct?