Demand surge forces Black Yak to reproduce 'Moon Jae-in jacket'

President Moon Jae-in climbed Mt. Bugaksan in an orange outdoor jacket, now known as “Moon Jae-in jumper,” with 60 news reporters on May 13. / Yonhap

By Eom Da-sol

Black Yak's B Guardian Jacket / Screen capture from GMarket

Skyrocketing demand has forced Korean outdoor brand Black Yak to reproduce a discontinued windbreaker jacket that has become known as the “Moon Jae-in jacket.”

Interest in the garment spiked on social media following new President Moon Jae-in wearing it on Saturday when he climbed Mt. Bugaksan, behind the presidential residence Cheong Wa Dae, with 60 news reporters.

The brand, whose mother company is Dongjin Company, introduced the limited edition “B Guardian Jacket” in 2013 to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary. But the brand decided Wednesday to restart production after the surge in demand.

The jacket seems to be Moon’s favorite because he has worn it at other key events, including when he climbed Mt. Bukhansan with news reporters in June 2013 when a Democratic United Party lawmaker. And Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook wore the jackets on the day of the presidential election, May 9.

“Our customer service and social media accounts were flooded with people’s requests for the model’s reproduction over the weekend,” a Black Yak official said. “We have been recommending ones with similar designs to the inquirers, but it did not seem enough. So we decided to reintroduce the jacket.”

Black Yak will release the jacket through its website on May 24. Only 300 will be available.

“We will release a limited number of the jackets in offline stores too,” an official said.

Meanwhile, the brand has made its 10 irregular workers regular staff, reflecting Moon’s promise to cut the number of irregular workers nationwide.