BTS Dalmajung pop-up brings Joseon folk art and symbols to HYBE headquarters

HYBE opened a BTS pop-up at the agency's headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Tuesday, featuring BTS merchandise inspired by the munjado, a folk painting genre from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) that decorates written characters with symbolic images.

The "2026 BTS Dalmajung Pop-up" will run on the first floor of HYBE's headquarters from Tuesday to Oct. 11. Visitors must book a time slot through the fan community platform Weverse before visiting the pop-up.

The 13 different merch items were made in collaboration with the National Museum Foundation of Korea and its museum merchandise brand MU:DS. Its main motif, heungjeukdaegil, refers to misfortune turning into great fortune and appears in the lyrics of "Aliens" from the band's latest album, "Arirang."

The collaborated merchandise includes a gongi set, a traditional game similar to jacks, and a magnet meant to ward off bad luck.

The pop-up includes both an exhibition and the merch zone, where the former features hangul calligraphy and the latter showcases all 13 types of the merch.

"Since the Dalmajung products were revealed on Sept. 22, we have seen a positive response to the polished designs, which blend Korean beauty wth BTS's brand," a HYBE IPX division representative said.

"We put a great deal of effort into the on-site pop-up, so we hope many people visit to check it out."

The merchandise is also sold on Weverse's online shop and at the National Museum of Korea, also located in Yongsan.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]