Jobok are the court attire that officials wore when offering felicitations to the king on days of celebration or while presenting a document containing their advice. As a geumgwan, which means gilt headgear, is included, jobok are also called geumgwanjobok. The attire consisted of gilt headgear, red robe, red outer skirt, inner silk coat, broad waistband, rank-specific leather belt, lap cover, rear drape, jade ornaments, silk socks, leather shoes, and hand-held tablet. Status was differentiated by the number of ridges on the headgear, the material used for the belt and hand-held tablet, the rear drape pattern, and the color of the jade ornaments.
This red outer robe, which is a designated Important Folklore Material, is the outermost layer of jobok. It is called jeokchoui, since it was originally made of cho (thin silk tabby), but those from the late Joseon Dynasty used patterned silk gauze, such as sunin and hangna, instead of cho. Its collars, hem and cuffs are lined in black with white lines, 0.2 centimeters in width, that run along the borders between the black and red parts in a demonstration of elaborate workmanship.
The red outer robe (Important Folklore Material No. 62) and blue inner robe (Important Folklore Material No. 61), both part of the collection of Ewha Womans University Museum, are known as costume relics that were originally housed in Changdeokgung Palace. The two items were designated as Important Folklore Materials (now National Folklore Cultural Heritage) in 1979, in recognition of their outstanding preservation and craftsmanship.
