---
node: garment_cheollik
type: garment
slug: cheollik
title: "Cheollik"
lead: "The cheollik is a Korean robe with a pleated skirt sewn to a fitted bodice, worn as military and travelling dress from the Goryeo period. Its practical, gathered cut set it apart from the straight robes of civil dress."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: cheollik.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Cheollik,_a_Korean_Military_Official_Robe.jpg"
image_author: "Unknown author"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

A cheollik joins a bodice to a full, finely pleated skirt at the waist, sometimes with detachable sleeves, so the wearer could move and ride freely. It served officers and officials on horseback and on campaign and as a functional court and travel robe.

## How it is worn

It is closed and belted at the waist where bodice meets skirt, the pleats giving room to stride and mount; sleeves could be untied for action. Colour marked rank, and it was worn under armour or as an official's field dress.

## History

The cheollik entered Korea under Mongol influence in the Goryeo period and remained in use through the Joseon dynasty for military men, envoys, and travellers. It is a rare pre-modern Korean garment shaped for movement rather than repose.