A very unlikely fashion is on the rise in the winter of 2009 in Korea. It''s “naebok,” literally meaning inner-wear or undergarments in Korean. Long underwear has a special part in modern Korean history, and is now making a comeback.

In the 1960s, radios would carry messages like one from a poor teenage girl selling snacks in the marketplace and wishing for a set of red naebok to warm her. One of the album titles of popular singer Lee Mun-sae was “Red Naebok,” after a song about a sleeping child clad in red naebok as his mother darns worn-out socks.

But why red? It seems like the standard color for early long underwear produced in the country was red. And even after Korea came to produce undergarments in various colors for the market, the expression seems to have stuck. Some suggest red naebok resulted from a superstitious belief that it would bring good luck and ward off evil, a belief that was deliberately spread by long underwear manufacturers. However, the most likely theory is that in the 1960s, red was the common color used for dying woman''s underclothes and with a lack of proper dying technology, red was the easiest hue to dye. In the 1970s red naebok became a symbol of filial piety, as it became a custom to buy a warm set for your parents as a sign of gratitude when you get your first job.

Most people know the story from here. Korea started to experience rapid economic growth. Apartments with good heating started to appear one by one and many people were either beginning to drive cars or enjoy the benefits of a much improved public transportation system. Suddenly thick underclothing like naebok became a thing to mock as “oldies clothing.” It became a symbol of old age, being old-fashioned or fashion disaster if someone found out you''re wearing a pair. Naebok then became a source of humor, appearing in comedies and jokes.

Now naebok is back. “If you get accustomed to wearing naebok it helps you to become much more resistant to the cold. You don''t feel cold even when the temperature drops. Since you''re more likely to catch cold due to the big difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, it''s much better to wear naebok and lower the heating a little. That''s how kids stay healthy,” said Kim Geun-young, 35, who works at Ever Green 21, an Environment Foundation based in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province).

Kim may have better awareness about saving energy and also the environment due to his work, but he also explained influence from his parents as well. “No matter how cold it gets, we don''t turn the boiler above 22 degrees Celsius. As long as we have a nice sweater and perhaps a vest over a warm naebok, things are just fine. Only our guests had trouble adjusting when they visited.” He added he''s happy to see rising demand for naebok, which is not only good for health, but saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.

Naebok Campaign to save Environment

The President at the 49th Cabinet Meeting on Nov. 17, 2009.

At the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee Myung-bak himself is out to promote the benefits of naebok. On Nov. 2, just after a cold wave advisory, Lee suggested his aides wear long johns. It is told that he again packed few pairs for his trip to the APEC summit in Singapore on Nov. 14 and 15.

The 49th Cabinet meeting in Cheong Wa Dae that took place on Nov. 17 was a cold one, with the heating lowered to 19 degrees Celsius. The unusually cold weather that day also contributed to white breath as the ministers spoke.

“I wear naebok and a vest on top of it,” said President at tea time. “So do I. So do most of the officials gathered here,” responded Prime Minister Chung Un-chan at the time. “It felt a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but a few days later that feeling has disappeared,” the president said. “At the APEC summit in Singapore we talked a lot about saving energy.”

On the same day, the officials decided that Korea would reduce its greenhouse gases by 30 percent by 2020. Cheong Wa Dae also revealed that it would continue to maintain the temperature at 19 degrees Celsius, to show an example of lowering energy usage.

According to the Korea Energy Management Corporation, if the whole country lowers room temperature by 3 degrees, it would not only reduce emissions of carbon dioxide but also save 1.8 trillion won of national budget overall. Room heating takes up an average 10 percent of all heating costs in Korea. Since wearing naebok alone helps raise the body temperature by three degrees (or an extra 2.2 degrees if wearing a sweater, too) that would save 20 percent or more of heating costs.

“It''s much better for your health to wear thin layers of clothing starting with naebok to trap the air within and make the body warm,” said Jeong Hye-seung, researcher for the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute said. “Naebok fashion is the way to keep both the body and earth healthy and green and we will issue guide books about such clothing to keep up the campaign in line with our low carbon green growth policy.”