Gat returns as ‘it' item with viral cultural moments

Korea Herald

05-07-2025

When "Kingdom," Netflix's first original K-drama series, was released in 2019, the sight of zombie-fighting noblemen wearing a variety of hats sparked global curiosity, with 'Joseon hats' even showing up in Amazon shopping carts.
The Joseon-era thriller ignited a fascination with "gat" — an umbrella term for traditional Korean hats.
Historically, gat came in a wide range of styles, each tailored to the wearer's social status, profession and occasion. What's commonly recognized today as a gat — the tall, black, wide-brimmed sheer hat — is called "heungnip," and was worn by noble scholars, and crafted from horsehair and bamboo.
It has reemerged as a striking performance 'it' item, crossing K-pop, ballet and street dance. Here's how the gat has returned to the spotlight — as a show-stealing, silhouette-defining, viral prop.
Demon boy band in gat
'I'm all you need, I'mma be your idol,' the boyband sings onstage, black gat on their heads and robes swirling. The crowd erupts in thunderous cheers and viewers at home watching the film are left hypnotized.
Netflix's animated hit 'Kpop Demon Hunters' has been making major waves, soaring on music charts worldwide, and quickly climbing to No. 1 on Netflix's global Top 10 chart for English-language films as of Thursday.
Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and released June 20, the film offers more than just a fun storyline and dynamic soundtrack — it's packed with cultural references deeply rooted in Korean heritage.
Kang has shared in various interviews that she wanted to create something that celebrates her Korean heritage and showcases Korean culture.
Among the breakout stars of the film are the Saja Boys, a demon boy band that goes on a full visual journey — from the bubbly, saccharine look of 'Soda Pop' to the dangerously alluring concept of 'Your Idol.'
In that final transformation, they return to their original demon selves as grim reapers, sporting traditional gat, flowing hanbok and sleek black boots.
For the finale, Kang said it was important to highlight the iconic Korean grim reaper look using the traditional gat, choosing to light the characters in silhouette to emphasize its shape.
Gat en pointe in contemporary ballet
One variation of gat in particular — the "jeongjagwan," worn indoors by noblemen — has become an unlikely ballet icon.
Associated with the image of Nolbu, the greedy brother in the Korean folktale of Heungbu, the jeongjagwan evokes strong associations with wealth and pride in the Korean culture.
So when a ballerino stepped onstage wearing the so-called 'Nolbu gat,' puffing smoke from a long pipe, audiences were stunned in the best way.
The scene caused a stir in Korea's ballet world, not least because it came from a small, newly founded company, the Yunbyul Ballet Company. Since its premiere in June 2024, 'Gat' has taken off, recently wrapping a sold-out six-city national tour.
Choreographed by Park So-yeon, the omnibus of interconnected short pieces is themed around different traditional gat, from the iconic heukrip to the jeongjagwan, and the ornate "jokduri" traditionally worn by women in ceremonial dress.
Park said the idea was inspired by the global buzz around the gat sparked by the Netflix zombie drama 'Kingdom.' Since the gat changes in color and shape according to social status and occasion, the ballet uses these variations to create distinct images, moods and characters across its scenes.
Black-and-white drama with gat flips
In 'World of Street Woman Fighter,' the latest edition of Mnet's hit dance survival franchise, a Mega Crew Mission became one of the show's most viral moments. The performance video by Korean crew Bumsup, released on June 18, quickly racked up over 6.8 million views in a single day, surpassing 14.7 million by Thursday.
Dancer Honey J opened the performance with slow, isolated movements of her neck and torso, creating an eerie, dreamlike atmosphere.
And the gat was chosen early on as a central marker of Korean identity. With the concept rooted in nightmares and fear, the team aimed to channel the ominous aura of the grim reaper.
Traditionally associated with black, the grim reaper was reimagined through white cropped blazers reminiscent of a Korean funeral robe creating stronger visual effect.
Another striking moment came during a high-angle segment, when dancers flipped and used their gat as dramatic props to create traditional East Asian visual motifs. The team had applied white masking tape to the inside of the usually black mesh brim, creating a bold black-and-white contrast when turned.
The video sparked a fun moment in the comments section, where official institutions like the Cultural Heritage Administration, the National Museum of Korea and the Korea Tourism Organization chimed in, calling it a 'heritage-level' performance.
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