A contestant’s post featuring a costume inspired by the Silla-era artifact Gold Earrings from Hwango-dong, Gyeongju (57 BC-AD 935) has gone viral. (Threads)
A contestant’s post featuring a costume inspired by the Silla-era artifact Gold Earrings from Hwango-dong, Gyeongju (57 BC-AD 935) has gone viral. (Threads)

This recreation of Silla-era gold earrings, South Korea's National Treasure No. 2001, has gone viral.

The costume, based on the ancient artifact officially named Gold Earrings from Hwango-dong, Gyeongju (57 BC-AD 935), was entered in the National Museum of Korea’s 2025 “Dress Like a Museum Exhibit” contest.

The contestant teased their entry on Threads last Thursday.

“It took me 10 days to finish. I’m the right earring,” the post said.

Photos showed the contestant and a friend dressed as the famous pair of earrings, excavated in 1949 from a tomb in Gyeongju.

Their bodies were painted gold, with large paper cutouts replicating the earrings’ leaf-shaped pendants.

“I used seven cans of gold spray paint,” the post added.

The post drew more than 600 comments in a single day.

On Friday, the museum announced that the earring duo was among the contest winners, who will appear at the in-person awards ceremony.

Other winners included participants who reimagined artifacts such as the Tiger and Magpie painting, the Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and Goryeo celadon.

Launched last year, the contest invites the public to creatively reinterpret the museum’s collection. This year’s submissions were accepted from Aug. 18 to Sept. 7, with the award ceremony scheduled for Sept. 27 at the museum.


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