ⓒYONHAP News

Sports Minister Hwang Hee says he believes his donning a hanbok at the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics amounted to a "silent protest" to the appearance of the Korean traditional attire as part of a program introducing China's 56 ethnic groups. 

Speaking to Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, Hwang explained he had packed a hanbok for his trip, anticipating it could feature in the global event. It had appeared in a teaser video for the opening ceremonies.

He said by wearing the hanbok as the country representative attending the ceremonies, it was a statement that it is in fact Korean traditional dress.

Regarding criticism over Seoul's lukewarm response to Beijing’s suggestion that the hanbok is one of its ethnic garments, the minister said the government had to exercise prudence since China has not made official claims over the hanbok.

Meeting with South Korean media outlets in Beijing on Saturday, Hwang said China's inclusion of Korean Chinese as an ethnic minority could suggest that the ethnic group had failed to grow into an independent nation.

The minister added that such a suggestion could generate misunderstanding between the two countries, adding South Korea is among the ranks of the world's top ten economies.

Seoul's foreign ministry also says it has "correctly" delivered its position to China over concerns of cultural appropriation involving the hanbok, the Korean traditional dress, during Friday's Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing. 

In a regular briefing on Tuesday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Choi Young-sam dismissed criticism that the government has been passive on the issue, saying the controversy is being discussed via appropriate channels. 

He said the ministry is consistently conveying its position that China needs to respect each country's unique culture and increase its understanding of cultural diversity, and that it will closely monitor how the controversy evolves.  

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul has expressed "grave" concerns about growing anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea, claiming that the Korean media and politicians instigated the sentiment.

A spokesperson said in a press release on Wednesday that the embassy is paying attention to recent allegations of biased refereeing raised by the South Korean delegation over a short track speed skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

In a statement posted on the embassy's social network, the spokesperson said that the refereeing decisions were a "technical issue" and should be addressed by a professional and authoritative organization. 

The spokesperson went on to say that some South Korean media and politicians had criticized the Chinese government and Beijing Olympics as a whole, provoking anti-Chinese sentiment among the Korean populace and worsening the disposition between the citizens of the two nations. 

The statement added that China will never accept groundless accusations by the Korean media and politicians, calling it irresponsible behavior. 

The statement comes amid a public uproar in South Korea after Team Korea skaters Lee June-seo and Hwang Dae-heon were disqualified in the semifinals of the men's one-thousand-meter race on Monday.