Small workshop crafts diplomatic hats for Korea-U.S. summit

Small workshop crafts diplomatic hats for Korea-U.S. summit

최초입력 2025.08.28 12:39:42

(Lee Chung-woo)

At a small workshop in Sindang-dong, central Seoul, South Korea, stacks of hats towered above workers as they hurried between sewing machines on Wednesday.
The facility, Moja Factory, prides itself on custom-made designs. Recently, it became an unlikely participant in Korea’s high-stakes diplomacy.
It produced the now-famous “MASGA” cap - short for Make America’s Shipbuilding Great Again, a novelty item that reportedly helped ease the mood during Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations in early August 2025.
Employees used a specialized 50-centimeter “pillar sewing machine” to carefully attach Korean and U.S. flags to bright red golf caps, preserving the hats’ shape while ensuring meticulous detailing.
“There’s still demand for MASGA hats, so we’re continuing production,” Shim Ki-dae, head of Moja Factory, said during an interview with Maeil Business Newspaper on Wednesday.
Moja Factory also produced the cowboy-style “Make America Great Again“ (MAGA) hats that President Lee Jae-myung presented to U.S. President Donald Trump and the First Lady during their recent bilateral summit.
Only a single pair was made, customized with embroidered slogans and flag patches at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Shim admitted he initially considered refusing the task, fearing mistakes on the oversized cowboy hats.
“But I couldn’t turn it down when Foreign Ministry officials pleaded with me at the workshop,” he said. “We managed to complete the hats just two days before their departure after working nonstop for an entire day.”
Its participation began when the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy sent an email requesting production of the MASGA caps ahead of the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations.
“The tariff negotiations suddenly advanced, and the request came with almost no lead time,” Shim recalled. “It seemed urgent as they had already been turned down by several companies.”
“I accepted with a sense of patriotism, thinking, ‘This is national business, so let’s just do it,’” he added.
However, determination alone was not enough to get the job done.
Ordinary hat-making sewing machines work with hats placed flat, which would inevitably damage them if used for the ministry’s intended design.
The solution came when Shim suddenly remembered the “pillar sewing machine” typically used for making bags.
He recalled a video he had once watched at a factory for study purposes.
By placing the hat over a vertical post, they could work without distorting its shape while still achieving the desired design.
“There are many machine vendors near our company, so we were able to respond quickly,” Shim explained.
The workshop’s involvement in the government’s “hat diplomacy” has since expanded.
“Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., which promotes the initiative of a Korea-U.S. Nuclear One Team, also placed an order timed with the summit,” he said. “We modified the original MASGA design and produced about 50 caps.”
“Making the hats was difficult at the time,” Shin admitted with a smile, “but knowing that it played even a small part in supporting the Korea-U.S. summit makes me proud.”
Moja Factory’s employees have also felt a growing sense of pride.
“Our staff feel proud that simply by working diligently to make hats, as they always have, they were able to contribute to the country,” Shim said. “Our company motto is, ‘Let’s try it first rather than saying it can‘t be done.’ I’m grateful that running the business with that philosophy is finally bearing fruit.”
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Small workshop crafts diplomatic hats for Korea-U.S. summit

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