메타버스 아바타의 전통의상 아이템의 혼용 사례 연구 : 제페토의 한·중·일 전통의상을 중심으로 = A Study on the Mixing of Traditional Costume Items in Metaverse Avatars : Focusing on Traditional Costumes of Korea, China, and Japan in ZEPETO

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In the metaverse, users can express themselves or embody a creative identity through avatars, with fashion items playing a central role in this process. As avatar fashion items become increasingly personalized and customizable, users are now able to combine detailed elements such as hairstyles, clothing, accessories, and footwear with greater precision. Within this transformation, the modes of representing and engaging with traditional culture in the metaverse are also rapidly evolving.
Traditional attire from Korea, China, and Japan, as significant cultural assets that embody each nation’s history, aesthetic values, and spiritual worldview, is being implemented as avatar items and consumed by users worldwide. However, in this process, instances of avatars wearing a mixture of traditional clothing items from different countries have emerged. Such practices risk diluting the distinct cultural identities of each tradition and distorting their original contexts and symbolic meanings. If these phenomena persist within the metaverse, the boundaries between national traditional attire may become increasingly blurred through simulacra, ultimately leading to distortions of traditional culture itself.
Therefore, traditional attire items on the metaverse platform ZEPETO must be clearly distinguished by country. Respecting the subjectivity of each nation’s traditional culture and integrating avatar items on this basis can preserve the uniqueness of national attire even within the metaverse space.
Grounded in this problem awareness, the present study analyzes the usage patterns of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese traditional attire items in ZEPETO. Based on this analysis, it proposes improvements such as accurate labeling of traditional attire items, systematic classification that distinguishes national traditional attire from general costumes, and integrated provision methods rooted in each nation’s traditional clothing. These recommendations aim to safeguard the cultural identity of traditional attire items in the metaverse and contribute to providing users with authentic cultural experiences.