Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

Need a last-minute idea for what to dress up as this Halloween? 🎃 To help you stand out from the typical Halloween dress-ups, we have collected some of the best Korean-inspired costume ideas for you. From world trending sensations to traditional Korean folktales-inspired costumes, these will for sure have you steal the spotlight whether you're at a Halloween party or just dressing up at home for the gram! 🔦

Squid Game ○△□

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Calling all Squid Game fans! We all know and remember the huge rave when the Netflix original came out right? It was such a sensation, it had people from all around the world following everything in this series. From its characters like the players, guards, and even the creepy robot doll to the games played! Even many of our favourite K-POP idols dressed up as these characters. (aespa's Winter, BLACKPINK's Lisa, NCT's Jaemin & JENO, Stray Kids' Lee Know, just to name a few). All you need is either a green tracksuit, red playsuit paired with a black fencing mask, or an orange dress layered on top of a yellow dress with cute lil pigtails to recreate these iconic characters. Easy and laid-back outfits with the ultimate comfort (meaning you can eat without constraint at your party!) yet people can recognise the iconic character you are at a quick glance. Imagine how cool you and your friends would look if you rocked up all as Squid Game characters 🦑🎲You can play the part too, and challenge the Squid Game games to recreate the whole series! If you want to know how to play some of these thrilling games, we've written a TMI that has explained all the rules for you!

Joseon Zombie

KINGDOM-NETFLIX.FANDOM.COM

When we think of Halloween, of course we cannot leave out zombies! 🧟‍♂️You can dress up as this deathly classic while still stand out from the typical zombies we always see during Halloween! Be inspired by the hit Korean zombie drama Kingdom and go from your regular zombie to a Korean walking dead from the 16th century of Joseon, yes, the Beauty of Joseon, Joseon. With an extra notch of elegance added to the spilling blood and rotting flesh, incorporate the Korean traditional clothing, hanbok (한복) to nail the traditional Korean zombie look in Kingdom. It's a look that captivates the beauty of Korean culture and terrifying undead-people-biting culture 🪦

Grim Reaper

NAVER ENTERTAINMENT

Now, getting into Korea's more traditional characters and myths, another costume idea is the jeoseung saja (저승사자), a grim reaper. Different to Western grim reapers, a jeoseung saja is a deity that guides the souls of the deceased to the afterlife ✨ If you're a k-drama fanatic, then you may think of Wang Yeo, the jeoseung saja in the drama Goblin, whose image was a tall, handsome deity dressed in neat, dainty fits that pops out of nowhere. But here, to really hit home with the Halloween vibes, we are going for the more orthodox image of a jeoseung saja where they are represented by their pale face, dark lips, black clothes and the traditional black hat called gat (갓) 🕴🏻So if you want to go for more traditional, upgrade with some make-up and go grudge-y with this chilling Korean folklore deity costume.

Virgin Ghost

NEWSWAY

Boo! 👻 Another classic for Halloween - ghosts. But not just any ghost. One of the most common ghosts in Korean myths is the virgin ghost, the cheonyeon gwishin (처녀귀신). The characteristics of a virgin ghost are typically a deathly pale young girl with long hair wearing a white hanbok, that is traditionally usually worn to mourn. called sobok (소복). Behind this myth is that in traditional Confucian/Korean belief, a women's purpose in life is to serve their father, husband and son. But because these souls have died before fulfilling their life purpose, their resentment and regret have their souls stuck in the living world, wandering and haunting the living. So go ahead and creep up behind your friends and give them a fright with this Korean mythic spirit.

Soju Bottle

HALLOWEEN.JAHANU.CO

Saving the best for last, this is probably the most iconic on the list (and personally, my favourite). A giant walking soju bottle 💚 It may seem ridiculous and like a drunk dare, but hey, it's Halloween so what's a better excuse than Halloween to dress up as a giant soju? This is the best costume to bring out some laughs while still embracing Korean culture. The soju bottle is also the optimal last-minute option because what's quicker than just slipping this large green goodness over your head and your look is complete? I'm not sure if I can pull off this look myself but I'd be hella keen to see it in real life! 🙌

So, did you get some ideas for what your last-minute Halloween outfit would look like? Are you going to grab your friends and create a group costume that everyone will love? Go all-out, showcase your make-up skills, and shock everyone with a twist of traditional Korean culture and mythology? Or are you the comedian of your friends, and you're going to pull off the grand soju look and be the life of the party? Let us know below!