In mid-2024, the National Museum of Korea’s shop began selling jewelry and other items based on motifs from the country’s history and folklore. Then some of those same shapes appeared in “KPop Demon Hunters,” the most-watched film in Netflix’s history, and many of the designs have sold out, repeatedly, ever since.
“Currently, some purchases are limited to three items per person for customers in Korea,” said Youngjoo Lee, a manager of the National Museum Foundation of Korea, which includes the development of cultural products for the museum among its goals.
The brooches, pins and other pieces depict the Gat, a hat with a cylindrical crown worn by nobles during the Joseon period, from 1392 to 1910 — and by the Saja Boys band in the film; the magpie, whose film version also wears a Gat; and the tiger, on whose cinematic head the magpie often perches. The magpie and the tiger both are creatures of Korean myth, credited with possessing positive talismanic powers.
“‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has been a wonderful opportunity to share the charm of Korean culture with a global audience,” said Nam Kyung-ju, the director of the Seoul Jewelry Industry Support Center, a government-funded agency. “Since ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ debuted, brands with an online presence or physical showrooms have seen increasing interest and direct messages not only from Korea but also from abroad.”
At the museum shop, where a piano version of the film’s Grammy-nominated theme song “Golden” was playing during a recent visit, Ms. Lee said that initially sales of the jewelry were steady. “But as the movie gained popularity, repeated sellouts occurred,” she said. Some of the items have been reordered 10 times, she said, and are expected to be back on sale in 2026.
In mid-November, related items in the museum’s online shop included a Magpie Tiger Badge ($15), a Gat Brooch in blue, sky blue and light green ($18) and a Gat Keyring ($16).
Korean jewelers have long been inspired by their country’s traditional arts and myths and some brands now sell interpretations of the shapes in their shops and online.
MIK, which stands for Made in Korea, was introduced in 2006 “to create an entirely new jewelry category by introducing button covers,” its founder and creative director, Lim Dong-Wook, wrote in an email. The covers, made of canvas and rhodium-plated zinc or 18 karat gold-plated brass, can be easily attached to shirt buttons, Mr. Lim said (he has patented its internal clip structure).
Motifs printed on the covers include tigers, magpies and lotuses; prices in its online store are $28 to $140 and it has a showroom in the Samcheong-dong neighborhood of Seoul.
“Since the show’s debut,” Mr. Lim said, “inquiries and orders through social media have risen sharply, and recently we’ve even received interest and orders from Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East.”
Um Do-yeon said the Korean word Ohuuu means “the brightest time of the day.” And that is why in 2018 she and Oh Se-young, a friend from her university days, named their jewelry brand Studio Ohuuu — “to shine a light on Korea’s traditional tales across the world,” Ms. Um said. Their interpretations of the popular motifs, mostly in sterling silver, are available in the brand’s online store and displayed at their minimalist shop in Jongno, the Seoul neighborhood that calls itself the largest jewelry district in the world.
Ms. Um designed the Gat hat as a lapel pin (74,000 won, or $50); a stickpin (184,000 won) and as earrings (131,000 won), while Ms. Oh created a ring with the tiger’s silhouette and another with the magpie’s (140,000 won).
Although the designs debuted several years ago, Ms. Um said sales have increased significantly since the movie first aired in June and they now call the designs their KPop Demon Hunters Jewelry collection.
A sequel to the blockbuster movie is in the works, and Studio Ohuuu is already on it. “We will be producing our version of a norigae,” Ms. Oh said, opening a book to show a picture of the ornamental tassel on a hanbok, the traditional garment worn by Koreans, that dangles from some “Demon Hunters” costumes on Netflix today.
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