World Blogger: Corean (Korean) Couple Culture...

A current trend in South Korea is to wear matching clothes to your partner, or for your partner to wear matching clothes to you. . . I’m not yet sure whether it is a female led, male led; dominant led or passive led phenomenon. A conclusion that can be drawn is that it is on the rise.

Within Korea’s capital city, Seoul, it is relatively common to see guys carrying their girlfriend’s handbag on their arm whilst wearing an identical pink matching t-shirt that has a giant heart embodied in the centre. Additionally, the masculine side of the yin-yang that is fused together, arm in arm, walking down the street seems to obey every word of the female’s orders.

This is what is known as ‘The Corean Couple Culture’ and it is much deeper entrenched in the Corean nation than first meets the eye.

Before we get onto the topic further, here is some food for thought...
You may have noticed that I have been spelling Korea with a ‘C’. Yes, you’re right, it is a poetic device.. alliteration (making the letter of each word the same). But, it is also because Korea used to be spelt with a ‘C’. In fact, some Latin-European languages such as Italian and Spanish still spell it Corea. The change came around the beginning of the twentieth century . There are numerous cited reasons for why it stopped being spelt with a ‘C’. One of my favourites was told to me in a bar in Seoul. It went a little something like this:

“F***ing Japan, after conquering Korea and raping all it's women, they decided that it hated the fact that Corea came before Japan when alphabetised. So, it changed it from Corea with a ‘C’ to Korea with a 'K’.”

This could, for all I know, be true. However, it is easy to find faults in this theory purely on the basis that Japan, although very powerful at the time, did not have much influence in the English speaking western world. Further, Japan has its own language’s which beggars the question “why would they have cared how a colony’s name was spelt in a language that was not used by them?”

It is an amusing story regardless, made more so considering how much the Korean nation hates Japan for the brutal and ruthless occupation it held over Korea. Of course, that is what I’ve learnt from the Korean museums... it would be interesting to see how the Japanese museums interpret their occupation.

And back to the Corean Couple Culture in Three. Two. One. Couple’s are not only wearing the same t-shirts as their other half’s, they are matching from tip to toe: hat, glasses, gloves, trousers, socks, shoes, watches, rings... you get the picture.

On my walk to work (which takes me approximately 5 minutes) I pass six shops that sell matching Corean Couple underwear. If this blog lets me upload photo’s I will do so. The matching sets have some of the most imaginative, but usually incorrectly interpreted, messages on them: ‘Matching it Fighting’, ‘Owning Lady Sexy’, ‘Honey Honey Not Time’, ‘Down Lady Pleasure’. However, there are more sets of matching undies that do not have text on them, they are simply matching aesthetically – matching leopard skin G-String and Jock strap. Mmmmmmm.

The great thing about this phenomenon is that it is not age discriminating. Although it is more common to see youngish love (early 20’s) wearing matching t-shirts, trousers, hats, shoes and glasses – the elder generation in Korea are as equally game to don corresponding garments. I regularly see Ajuma ( 아주머 middle-aged women) and elderly Korean ladies buying matching thongs and I have bumped into countless twin elders on mountain trails that are wearing identical outfits – in fact one of my favourite Corean Couple experiences was when I was in Yeong Pyang (a Korean ski resort) and saw three consecutive sets of matching couples on the chair-lifts in from of me.

Although the Corean Couple Culture is surprising to westerners, who enjoy celebrating their individuality within partnerships, it becomes rather endearing the more that you see it. For a nation that is against hugging and cheek kissing (this will be my next blog) they are willing to express themselves in the wearing of indistinguishable clothing.

What stage does a couple start wearing the same clothing... I have no idea. After asking colleagues, friends and language exchange partners here in Korea, I seem to get the same answer “when they become a real couple”. And every time I hear it all I can think about is that damn Spice Girl song “When Two Become One”. So, any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated. . .