Jane Han is the North America editor for The Korea Times. Based in Seattle, she has covered business, culture and social issues across the United States for over 15 years. She previously worked at The Boston Globe.
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ set to dominate Halloween
Saja Boys, a fictional K-pop boy group, dress in costumes inspired by traditional Korean grim reapers in a scene from Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.” Captured from Netflix’s YouTube channel
By Jane Han
Witches, vampires and zombies are out. This Halloween belongs to “KPop Demon Hunters,” as flashy looks from the hit animation are already being called the season’s hottest costumes. It marks yet another year of Korean-inspired outfits sweeping the U.S., following the “Squid Game” craze of 2021.
Fans went into overdrive Monday when Netflix announced it had teamed up with Spirit Halloween, America’s biggest costume retailer, to officially release costumes based on the film characters. Online forums lit up as people discussed getting costumes for themselves and for children.
“Finally!” one Reddit user wrote. “No more making it from scratch. This will be one of the top costumes this year.” Another chimed in, “Is it weird for a 42-year-old man to dress up as the Saja Boys?”
On the company’s website, Rumi, Mira and Zoey costumes were listed as “coming soon,” and start at $60 (approximately 83,000 won). While no official Saja Boys outfits are being offered, fans say all they really need is the gat, a traditional black hat — dozens of which are on Amazon, at a range of price points.
“It’s a lot of money, but everything is expensive these days,” said Sophie Crizal, 42, of Los Angeles, who plans to dress her family of four as demon hunter characters. “I did a poll in my daughter’s fourth-grade class, and 10 out of 12 girls said they’ll be going as someone from the movie. Enough said.”
Even before the official launch, bargain hunters turned to Alibaba and AliExpress, where prices run at least a third cheaper.
“You didn’t see many kids in ‘Squid Game’ tracksuits because some schools even banned them,” said Kim, a veteran Amazon costume seller. “But ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ appeals to all ages. As soon as the series premiered this summer, it was obvious this would be the top look.”
For sellers like Kim, the buzz is more than a seasonal spike.
“It’s another reminder that Korean pop culture is really mainstream now,” he said.