The National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Sept. 18YONHAP
The National Museum of Korea in Seoul drew 5.25 million visitors through August this year — a milestone reached roughly six weeks earlier than last year, when it recorded 6.5 million annual admissions and ranked third worldwide by attendance.
This year’s figure marked the fastest pace in the museum’s history since its opening in 1945 and its relocation to Yongsan District in central Seoul in 2005.
The museum had welcomed 291,460 foreign visitors as of last month, already a record for an entire year.
This year, more than 700,000 people visited in January, February and August. Average daily attendance during those months far exceeded the museum's recommended capacity of about 15,000 people, a figure based on the facility's size and fire safety regulations.
School vacations provided a seasonal boost, but the surge also appears to reflect younger generations’ growing enthusiasm for traditional Korean culture and “MU:DS,” merchandise based on the museum’s collections.
The museum will stage “The Art Spot,” a series of performances highlighting Korea’s intangible cultural heritage during the Chuseok holiday period, which runs from next Thursday through Sept. 27. The show will take place twice daily at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the museum’s outdoor Open Plaza. No performances will take place next Friday.
Visitors browse merchandise at a souvenir shop at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Sept. 18.YONHAP
Next month, the museum will present a special display of the Dunhuang Buddhist manuscripts believed to have been transcribed in 593 during China’s Sui Dynasty (581-618) in its permanent Central Asia exhibition space.
In November, the museum will open an exhibition featuring works from the Kunsthaus Zurich in Switzerland. At the end of the year, it will stage an exhibition devoted to the style of French queen Marie Antoinette, who lived from 1755 to 1793.
The museum has raised parking fees to reduce congestion on weekends and holidays. It is also developing an online reservation system in preparation for a possible shift to paid admission. BY KWON KEUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
