An Unusual Korean Wave written by 10305 Kim Seo Yeong

An Unusual Korean Wave 

                                                                                                           written by 10305 Kim Seo Yeong 

In the past, gats were worn by Korean aristocrats are becoming a trend all over the world. While differentiating Korean products is a success factor for exports, some products armed with Korean characteristics and sensibilities are rather popular. In addition, items used by Korean grandmothers are not popular amongst the younger generations in Korea. Since they are "chon" here are also popular abroad. Let's find out what Korean items are loved around the world. These products are considered fresh and innovative.

The first item to be bought is a hat. In the Korean drama Kingdom, seen on Netflix, the main characters wear hanbok, traditional Korean clothing. It seems that foreigners are interested in the traditional Korean hat, gat. Foreigners have shown their affection for gat on SNS, saying, "Kingdom is a story about zombies and a really cool hat." As a result, Amazon sells various types of gats.

The second is homi. Homi is a tool Koreans use to farm since the Goryeo Dynasty, which is very convenient when removing weeds or making ditches. Homi is currently on Amazon's list of horticultural popularity. It is gaining huge popularity regardless of the high cost. It is sold at up to seven times more than the domestic price under the same name, which are handmade tools of Yeongju.

In addition, Korean cooking utensils are also receiving attention as Korean food is becoming more popular around the world, among which is a stone pot that allows people to eat warm food for a long time.

Another item is the baby wrapper. Podaegi is a traditional Korean object made to hold a baby easily and for a long time. Podaei was not only favored by Hollywood stars such as Angelina Jolie and Orlando Bloom, but also attracted the attention of foreign mothers. Research shows that it is good for creating collusive relationships and developing psychological development since it allows children to share body temperature. Moms can also respond directly to the children’s reactions after they wrap podaegis around their children. It is also being sold at Amazon under the name podaegi which expresses Korean pronunciation in English.

The last item is a magic beoseon. This is a colorful patterned beoseon worn by the elderly inside during winter. Younger Koreans are reluctant to wear it. They think it is tacky. The popularity began one day when a Japanese cartoonist tweeted a cartoon praising the magic beoseon. According to the Korea Tourism Organization's survey of Japanese people on their preference for traditional Korean market items on its official Facebook page in February 2019. Magic beoseon topped the list with 10.3 percent. Japanese tourists were said to have fallen in love with the cheap price of magic beoseon, their various designs, and their comfortable wear and warmth.

We could never have imagined these items gaining huge popularity around the world. In response, Korean netizens have responded by saying, "It's amazing" and "I never imagined homi would be popular" Some say that Korea's tradition and sensibility should be introduced to a wider world by using these items as a stepping-stone. People are looking forward to seeing what direction the Korean wave will take in the future.