By Kim Young Shin

The success of Netflix's Korean zombie series "Kingdom" overseas has fueled heightened global interest in and demand for traditional hats worn by the characters.

Men from the Joseon Dynasty era (1392-1910), the period in which the series is set, tied their long hair in the hairstyle sangtu every morning and wore hats that indicated their social class, occupation and occasion.

When noblemen and scholars headed outdoors, they wore the heuklip, better known as a gat, and the jeongjagwan when indoors. Bureaucrats wore the samo when working and military officers the jeonlip; the king or crown prince wore the ikseongwan to work.

Fans of "Kingdom" talk about these hats when mentioning the series on social media.

"Please watch Kingdom on Netflix, It's about zombies and fancy hats. Please I beg you." said Twitter user @shafira_bella. "This is Walking Dead and Game of Thrones politics meet Korean culture."

Another Twitter user, @suggestivecacti, said, "Kingdom on Netflix is very good, and also has excellent hats. Just another thing Korea does better than everyone else."

Such buzz has fueled sales of the hats on Amazon.com.

One seller offered four types of the hats on the page "Korean Drama Kingdom Hat Chosun Dynasty Traditional Hats": heuklip, jeongjagwan, and hats worn by pojol (police officers) and their captain.

A related item is the white silk robe dopo, another piece of clothing worn by Joseon men. Its seller recommends wearing it as a Halloween costume.


"Gat hats were craftworks made with horsehair and bamboo by three master craftsmen: one skilled in making the mojeong the tall part of the hat, another one that makes yangtae round brim, and one connecting both parts," said Choi Eun-soo, senior curator at the National Folk Museum of Korea. "It usually took them over a half month, and even today, a properly made gat costs around KRW 4 million to 5 million."

"People should pay attention to the artistic beauty of these hats that represents Koreans' exceptional sense of style and craftsmanship."

ysk1111@korea.kr