The ancient people valued the appearance of a person more than the people of the later period. This phenomenon is universally confirmed not only in East Asian countries such as China and Japan, but also in Europe and other parts of the world.
In Korean compiled historical materials, the most notable of the ancient king’s bodies were his height and overall physique. However, both height and physique have a common element of the skeleton, that is bone. In ancient Korean society, bones were regarded as a symbol of the character and a representative element of one’s identity. And they understood the characteristics of the human body in connection with the person’s ability and authority.
In Silla and Gaya, the ranking phenomenon of the body is also confirmed, and in particular, it appears in connection with an official hat system. During the Three Kingdoms Period, the official hat was an essential costume that marked the person’s status and identity. In Silla , before King Jijeung , political
status was classified using official hats. This is because the ancient people valued one’s head, that is, the skull, which is consistent with the ancient people’s view of the body.
It seems that the class order of ancient Korea, such as Golpum system was formed from the cultural tradition of recognizing and sequencing the appearance and physical characteristics of a person.