Political parties in South Korea have denounced the feature of the Korean traditional attire hanbok during the Beijing Winter Olympics' opening ceremony on Friday.

The pink hanbok was worn by a young woman, in apparent representation of an ethnic minority group in China.  

A spokesperson for the ruling Democratic Party's election camp expressed regret over Beijing's reckless distortion of culture, stressing that protecting culture is as important as pragmatic diplomacy and that such blatant distortions cannot be met with silence. 

The main opposition People Power Party noted the fact that Culture Minister Hwang Hee was present at the opening ceremony also wearing hanbok.

A spokesperson for PPP's election headquarters said the incident is a clear case of cultural intrusion and criticized the government for failing to protest and respond sternly to such matters, maintaining a low-key attitude in diplomacy.

The official said Seoul must file a protest and demand China to promise to prevent a recurrence.