The hanbok which are worn by Korean people has a lot of layers and accessories. Popular accessories which are used often are tassels and ribbons in many different colors. Looking at the colors, it seems that these are the accessories which are worn by the Koeran ladies. Those ribbons and tassels look very pretty. 

Meanwhile, the men are usually spotted walking around the streets with their hanbok and traditional hat which is called "gat". Hat and gat, oh well they do sound pretty similar to each other. Gat is made from horsehair with bamboo frame and is partly transparent in black color. In those days, only married and middle class men could wear gat because it represented their social status and protected their topknots. 

At the next display next to the gat, we can see a collection of Korean traditional footwear, Hwahyejang. The shoes are classified in Hwa (shoes that go over the ankle) and Hye (shoes that do not cover the ankle). Similar to the gat, at this time, shoes were an important indicator of a person's profession or social status. Each shoes' design, colour and style depend on social caste or occupation of the wearer. The shoes are typically made from leather obtained from cows, pigs and sheeps. One pair of shoes usually takes one week to make. 

The next display is so pretty. It is a hanbok for children, completes with the pouch and socks. Must be for those childrens born in the rich family though. The children of commoners depicted in Korean dramas do not wear such fancy clothes. 

The next installation show us a procession of receiving the bride in Korea. While the procession looks like it's one of those happy occasions, the reality of wedding procession during Joseon era usually full of fear and sadness. This is because the married couple was usually quite young, even children. Their weddings were arranged for mostly political or financial reason. Kinda sad, really. 

Once the bride has arrived, the wedding ceremony begins with a lot of bowing practices involved. It is also quite normal for the royals/ rich men to have concubines in those days. So while the concubines may have the man's attention, the official wife is still the ruler of the house. Ahh, no wonder Joseon dramas end in tragedy mostly. Where is the love?

One fact stays true until this day though, the cost for these wedding ceremonies is high. Omaigat, why can't we have a simple wedding where everyone can enjoy the festivity without incurring so much cost? Oh simple things, where have you gone? Did you ever exist in the first place?

The next section of the exhibit still shows us a lot of food but judging from the way the food stacked, this does not seem to relate to wedding ceremony anymore, doesn't it? The tower of food shown here is for rituals to worship gods and deities which is usually to commemorate the dead. Shudder. 

The Korean also has their own procession to honor the dead. Especially for the deceased royals. A lot of rituals for exorcism (since medicine study was not advanced enough back then, people thought that incurable diseases are caused by evil spirit) were also performed back then to cure away sickness, etc. 

Within one hour of guided-tour, we have learnt and seen so many artifacts from the ancient days of South Korea. I personally feel that it was quite a fun experience and the artifacts shown in National Folk Museum of Korea really have good quality and informative enough for visitors to understand and see the way Korean people live in those days. 

Admission fee:

Free but it's included as part of admission fee paid to enter Gyeongbokgung Palace

Opening hours: 

March - May, September - October: 9AM - 6PM

June - August: 9AM - 6.30PM

November - February: 9AM - 5PM

Weekends and public holidays (May - August): 9AM - 7PM