National football team's skipper Son Heung-min and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo pose wearing new uniforms, designed by Nike. / Courtesy of Korea Football Association

Nike unveiled the South Korean national football team's new uniforms, sparking a diverse range of reactions among both fans and critics.

Designed by Nike, the new design was inspired by the rich tapestry of Korean culture, blending traditional art with cutting-edge technology. However, not everyone appears prepared to raise a toast to the team's new look.

The home kit has garnered unexpected culinary comparisons, with certain fans noting its striking resemblance to the intricate marbling of beef, while others jest that it resembles a wrap of meat and lettuce.

On the other hand, the away uniforms took a deep dive into the realm of traditional Korean lacquerware craft, "najeonchilgi," employing a mother-of-pearl aesthetic that's either strikingly chic or reminiscent of grandma's best lacquered jewelry box, depending on whom you ask.

Despite the mixed reviews, the uniforms feature thoughtful details, such as tiger claw marks on the collars, symbolizing the team's ferocity and spirit.

The designs elicited a spectrum of polarized reactions, ranging from fans declaring that Son Heung-min could make a potato sack look dashing, to others experiencing a mild case of vertigo from the dizzying patterns.

The new away uniforms for the men's football team reinterprets traditional Korean laquerware with a contrasting deep black and subtly shimmering pearl-colored digital pattern. / Courtesy of Nike

The Korea Football Association rolled out the fashion-forward (or backward, according to some cheeky netizens) uniforms with an array of players modeling the new look, including skipper Son Heung-min (Tottenham), stalwart Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan), proving that whether it's on the field or the runway, teamwork makes the dream work.

As the team gears up for their matches against Thailand, sporting their new garb, it's clear that while the designs aimed to pay homage to Korea's illustrious heritage and relentless innovation, they've also inadvertently united fans in a lively debate ranging from fashion critique to food analogies.

Whether lauded as a stroke of genius or lambasted as a faux pas, one thing is for sure: South Korea's latest football uniforms have left an indelible mark on the sartorial scoreboard, ensuring the team won't be judged just on their gameplay alone but their runway game as well.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, was assisted by generative AI and edited by staff at The Korea Times.