G-Dragon Captivates World Leaders with Traditional Korean Hat, Becoming Symbol of K-Fashion Cultural Diplomacy

Singer G-Dragon drew global attention at the 2025 APEC Summit welcome dinner by wearing a fedora inspired by traditional Korean gat. On the stage held at the Lahan Hotel’s grand ballroom in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk Province, on October 31, he reaffirmed his status as a global icon representing K-pop through fashion that blurred the lines between tradition and modernity. His onstage styling was meticulously crafted. He paired a red tie with a black-and-white velvet suit to erase boundaries between classic and streetwear, completing the look with delicate details such as nail art and flower brooches. In particular, the gat-style outfit inspired by Korean traditional clothing went beyond a simple stage costume—it was an artistic expression that combined wordplay using the double meaning of “got” and “God.” The most notable moment occurred right after the performance. World leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klaven, and Thai First Lady Tinaroon Niralakul, wife of Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, all pulled out their phones to photograph G-Dragon’s performance. Moments later, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited Korea for the first time in 11 years, was captured having a cheerful conversation with President Lee Jae-myung, illustrating how music and fashion can create moments of cultural diplomacy. This appearance by G-Dragon was his first official outing shortly after he received the Okwan Cultural Medal at the South Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism praised him at the time as someone who “contributed to the spread of Hallyu and the globalization of Korean popular music,” and this APEC stage performance served as proof of that assessment in action. Along with the success of “KPop Demon Hunters,” K-culture’s global standing has further risen. During the APEC Summit, this film and other Hallyu content became key topics in various settings such as discussions, meetings, speeches, and dinner performances among world leaders. President Lee Jae-myung emphasized K-pop’s symbolic importance during his special speech at the CEO Summit by citing “KPop Demon Hunters,” stating that K-pop idols and fans create a “hunmun” — a force that defeats darkness through strong unity. Industry forecasts are also positive. There are predictions that K-fashion using gat as a motif will spread as a trend on the global stage, with fans reacting with comments like “I expect gat styles to sell out instantly” and “Soon, fashion boys wearing gats will appear everywhere.”