Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine the level and trends in household clothing expenditure in Korea. Raw data sets produced by the National Statistical Office from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey from 1991 to 2004 were used to support time-series and cross-sectional analyses. The clothing expenditures decreased severely and quickly during the economic crisis of late 1997 through 1998, then increased slowly after the economic crisis until 2003, only to slightly decrease again in 2004. The ratio of clothing expenditure to total household expenditure decreased from 8.03% in 1991 to 5.11% in 2004. This decrease in relative clothing expenditure was greater in the lower income group than in the middle and high income groups. Clothing expenditure patterns were unique and differed from other household expenditures. Although the economic crisis in the late 1990s affected Korean consumers' clothing expenditure, clothing expenditure patterns showed a more fundamental and structural change from 1991 to 2004, with the overall decrease in such expenditure resulting from the concurrent increase in educational and information-communication related expenditures. Clothing expenditure was shown to be luxurious through cross-sectional analysis, but necessary through time-series analysis.
