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From tights to body paint, National Museum cosplay contest breathes new life into artifacts

Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 19:00

The “If It Hangs on the Ear, It’s an Earring” team’s recreation of the Hwango-dong gold earrings in the National Museum of Korea's cosplay contest. [KANG HAN-MIN]

Tights, gold leotards and an elaborate resemblance of an earring — the National Museum of Korea drew 83 teams for a cosplay contest where participants submitted photos of elaborate costumes and props recreating artifacts, with finalists saying the effort reflected their commitment to sharing Korea’s cultural heritage. Some took six hours just to shoot a photo, but they all did it "out of the desire to spread the beauty and history of our artifacts."

Korea's largest culture and history museum will hold its annual cosplay competition of historical artifacts and participants are already in high spirits, especially upon the wave of enthusiasm from the public thanks to the global popularity of Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters."

Among the standout entries was a team with a name that translates roughly to "If It Hangs on the Ear, It’s an Earring," which recreated a pair of golden earrings from the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935), known as the "Gyeongju Hwango-dong Golden Earrings."

Team members Kang Han-min and his cousin, Kwon Hyung-soon, dressed in gold-painted outfits and replicated the dangling finish of the earrings. Kang said he decided to participate after frequently visiting the museum with his fifth-grade daughter.

"I thought it would be a good memory for her, but I ended up getting more immersed myself," Kang said. The team used seven cans of gold lacquer and crafted the earrings' ring structure out of bubble wrap and paper before painting it.

"I had planned the concept and location for the shoot in advance, but once I put on the costume, the top made of bubble wrap was unbearably hot," Kang said. "As soon as I wore it, I knew I couldn’t go outside, so I decided to film at home with a phone camera."

Another finalist, the Japanese trio "Human Hojakdo," dressed as the tiger and magpies from the traditional folk painting "Hojakdo," a style of folk painting incorporating a tiger and a magpie from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). They shot outdoors in nearly 40-degree Celsius (104-degree Fahrenheit) heat while wearing full-body tights.

The “Human Ho-jakdo” team in the National Museum of Korea's cosplay contest [JOONGANG ILBO]

Kumi, who played the tiger, said they became interested in the painting after seeing "KPop Demon Hunters." To capture the tiger's expression, they bought paint from a nearby store on the day of the shoot and painted their faces instead of wearing masks.

"I wanted to share its playful charm with other Japanese people, so I persuaded my friends to join me," they said.

Hojakdo [JOONGANG ILBO]

"Once I put on the makeup, the embarrassment disappeared," they said. "We even took a taxi to the museum's back garden and had fun filming there."

The team "Hanbok Beauties" portrayed four women from painter Shin Yun-bok’s "Dano Day Scenery" (1758-1858) wearing hanbok, Korea's traditional style of clothing.

"We are a group of friends who often wear hanbok, so we decided to come together for this project," team leader Kwon No-ah said. "Our team spent a month practicing poses and used our own hanbok and accessories for the shoot."

The “Hanbok Beauties” team’s recreation of Shin Yoon-bok’s Dano Pungjeong in the National Museum of Korea cosplay contest [KWON NO-AH]

"One of the women who posed with her back exposed was actually a man. The pose of a foot resting as if on a swing was created by holding the swing up with both arms."

Meanwhile, the team "Jae-roni and Sol-sol Union" recreated a Goryeo-era (918-1392) gilt-bronze seated Avalokiteshvara statue.

Team member Park Han-sol said the model painted their body gold and sewed each fold of the robes and necklaces into place with thread to ensure accuracy. Because the studio was only available after 10 p.m., the group filmed for six hours overnight.

Shin Yoon-bok’s Dano Pungjeong [JOONGANG ILBO]

"The model is actually a photographer, so they directed the lighting verbally while posing," Park said.

Each team emphasized its passion for the artifacts it represented.

“The Hwango-dong earrings we chose are less well known than other Silla pieces and were once misnamed the Noseo-dong earrings during the Japanese colonial era [1910-1945],” Kang said.

Kwon said they hope Korean cosplay inspires interest in Korea's hidden history.

“Just like in Shin Yun-bok’s paintings, hanbok reflects individual style and trends. I hope this shows people that hanbok is not outdated but beautiful," Kwon said.

Visitors can see some of these works or try their own hand at costumes in the contest's venue at the National Museum of Korea from Sept. 26 to 28. The museum will host photo zones themed around a Silla crown, Korean liberation and tigers, and will offer free rentals of traditional clothing for anyone who wishes to participate.

“We want to make this a festival for all generations and nationalities,” a museum representative said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]