Daily Times

The “Made in Korea” green tracksuits and pink jumpsuits worn by characters in Netflix’s global hit “Squid Game” have proven a pre-Halloween bright spot for a South Korean garment industry struggling during the pandemic. A 500-square-metre garment factory in the Seongbuk district of the capital Seoul was humming this week, green and pink thread flying off stacked spools off serger machines with loud knocking noises in a race to meet orders. “October is usually a slow month for the sewing industry, but thanks to Squid Game and Halloween, we are scrambling to stitch,” factory owner Kim jin-ja, 54, told Reuters. “We are now sewing 6,000 teal-green tracksuits for toddlers and children. “Kim says her annual sales of 1.5 billion won plummeted to a third of what she used to make after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Most of her orders came from Japan but travel restrictions forced her to shut down in August and September.