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President Lee tours Yi Sun-shin exhibition, takes selfies with tourists at national museum

Published: 26 Feb. 2026, 16:33 Updated: 26 Feb. 2026, 18:10

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

President Lee Jae Myung, front right, takes selfies with tourists visiting the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26. Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung viewed a special exhibition on Admiral Yi Sun-shin and bought souvenirs at the museum. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung visited the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Thursday, touring a special exhibition on Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545-1598) and taking selfies with tourists and children.

Lee, accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung, viewed the exhibition, "Our Yi Sun-shin," which drew more than 300,000 visitors in less than three months after it opened on Nov. 28 last year.

Visitors and students greeted the presidential couple with cheers, some asking for selfies. Lee shook hands and high-fived some of the children, asking their grade and what region they come from.

After exchanging greetings with the visitors, the presidential couple toured the special immersive exhibition, which combines video, audio and interactive elements, guided by the curator.

President Lee Jae Myung, right, views a special exhibition on Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545-1598) at the National Museum of Korea at Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Admiral Yi was an undefeated naval commander of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), who led Korea's navy during the Japanese invasions of 1592 to 1598, known collectively as the Imjin War. "Our Yi Sun-shin" features 258 artifacts totaling 369 items, such as the handwritten war diary "Nanjung Ilgi," Yi's swords, copies of reports submitted to the king compiled later as the "Imjin Jangcho" and a collection of letters sent by Yi.

Lee asked whether the exhibition pieces were real or replicas, how they were preserved and who wore the displayed armor. He took a long look at Yi's two-meter-long sword and the inscriptions on it, according to the Blue House.

The curator noted that the exhibition commemorates the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the 480th anniversary of Yi's birth.

The National Museum of Korea recorded 6.5 million visitors amid the global rise of interest in K-content and K-culture. especially with the popularity of Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" (2025).

President Lee Jae Myung, center left, takes selfies with a student visiting the National Museum of Korea at Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

At one point, the presidential couple stopped briefly to hear an explanation in front of a promotional panel for the National Museum's collaboration with K-pop girl group Blackpink.

Later, Lee and Kim took selfies with museum visitors including a group of tourists from the United States afterwards.

"My friends are going to go crazy — they're going to ask if it's an AI photo," one child said after taking a photo with the president, Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.

President Lee Jae Myung, center right, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung show off souvenirs from the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Feb. 26, after viewing a special exhibition on Admiral Yi Sun-shin. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The presidential couple also toured other museum exhibits and stopped by the souvenir shop. Kim purchased a glasses pouch featuring hojakdo, a traditional Korean folk painting featuring tigers and magpies.

Kang said in the statement that the presidential couple's trip to the National Museum intends to "reaffirm the spiritual foundation of Korea as a cultural powerhouse and to connect with the public."

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]