Sseugaechima

It is estimated that since the period of Later Silla (Unified Silla, 668–935), Korean women wore some kind face covering. However, it is only confirmed by literature from the period of the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392) that these coverings were used. They were called mongsu (몽수 Hanja: 蒙首) at the time and were passed down from the Sui and Tang dynasties; they were mostly worn by noble women as luxury items.

During the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), Confucian ideals, such as the division of the classes and sexes, became more influential and had an impact on everyday life. The rule stating that men and women could not see each other's faces if they did not know one another became stricter; for women, leaving the house was strictly restricted or even banned. Therefore, in order not to see each other, different types of face-covering headpieces for women were developed including the jang-ot, sseugaechima, and neoul.

There is no information about exactly when as well as which class started wearing the sseugaechima, but it is estimated that it was from at least February 1526. At that time the wardrobe of the women from yangban families became an issue. The process to make and wear the sseugaechima was easier than that of the neoul, a face covering worn by upper-class women. The sseugaechima was worn mainly by the women of yangban families and was regarded more highly than the jang-ot. However, by the late Joseon Dynasty, the division between the classes became weaker and upper-class women started wearing both. The sseugaechima became more common among women of every class.[3] However, it started to disappear due to reforms in the enlightenment era and the entry of women into society. Some high-ranking wives who entered society had already begun to remove their face coverings and acted more freely.

At the center of the head-covering reform were the girls who started attending modern schools. However, it was very difficult for them to take off the veils due to the prevalent way of thinking at the time. Dropouts increased because of parents' opposition to girls removing their face coverings. Some girls used black umbrellas to cover their faces and avoid leaving school. From the beginning of the 20th century, face covering slowly become less common and started to disappear. In 1908, the sseugaechima disappeared from Ewha University and Yeondong University, and in 1911, it was banned from Baehwa University and replaced by umbrellas. But it took a longer time for sseugaechima to disappear completely. Until the 1940s it was not commonly accepted to use umbrellas instead of face coverings, so the sseugaechima continued to live on, especially in the rural areas where families pretended to be yangbans, so newlywed brides had to wear face coverings when going out.[4]