"This is the first time in 20 years since the National Museum of Korea opened that there have been so many people here."
On the afternoon of the 7th at 2 p.m., the 'museum goods section' of the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was overflowing with people wanting to purchase museum 'museums (museum+goods)' such as the 'magpie tiger badge' and 'Buddhist monk statue miniature.'
Visitors varied from elementary school students visiting the museum with their mothers during the vacation to middle and high school students who came with friends, and adults in their 30s and 40s. Foreign visitors were also seen occasionally. Most of them came to the museum thanks to the popularity of the K-pop animation 'K-pop Demon Hunters (Kedehun),' which features Korean traditional culture.
A staff member in the goods section said, "Since two weeks ago, the number of customers has increased by about 2 to 3 times compared to usual," and noted, "This is the first time in 20 years since the opening of the National Museum of Korea in 2005 that so many people have come." He added, "The museum and the goods section open at 10 a.m., but guests have been lining up as early as 9 a.m. waiting for the store to open."
The term 'museums,' which refers to museum goods, is used for products created by the National Museum of Korea that combine modern design, originality, and practicality with Korean cultural heritage. They are designed not just to reproduce the exact appearance of past artifacts but to make them usable in modern daily life.
One in ten of the ten items sold in the goods section that day was marked 'sold out.' Sold-out products included the Buddhist monk statue miniature, a small blue-and-white porcelain jar, a three-piece set of color-changing cups featuring tipsy scholars, a mother-of-pearl tiger handheld mirror, and a necklace with the spirit of Jeong.
The popularity of museums stemmed from the recently released Netflix anime Kedehun. The popularity of Kedehun, which features Korea's traditional culture and K-pop idols, led to a sales boom for museums produced by the National Museum of Korea.
In particular, the 'magpie tiger badge,' resembling the tiger character 'Duffy' from Kedehun, is so popular that it is said to be unavailable. The magpie tiger badge is inspired by the traditional Korean folk painting value of the magpie and tiger.
A store representative said, "The magpie tiger badge is restocked once or twice a week, but it hasn't been restocked today," and emphasized, "This product sells out completely on the morning of the day it is restocked."
The online sales situation was similar. Most of the sold-out products in the store were marked as 'temporarily sold out.' On that afternoon, the National Museum of Korea online shop was overwhelmed with visitors, causing accessibility issues.
Sales of museums have steadily increased even before the airing of Kedehun. Sales of museums rose from 11.692 billion won in 2022 to 14.976 billion won in 2023, 21.284 billion won in 2024, and 11.480 billion won in the first half of this year. With Kedehun added, sales of museums in July reached 4.952 billion won, a 180% increase compared to 1.766 billion won in July of last year.
As more customers are looking to purchase museums, the number of visitors enjoying the exhibitions at the museum is also increasing. In July, the number of museum visitors reached 742,167, up 105% from 361,493 in July of the previous year.
The National Museum of Korea aims to ensure that its current popularity is not a temporary phenomenon but leads to sustainable enjoyment of Korean culture. Plans include developing various museums and conducting diverse exhibitions, education, and events that encompass both domestic and global cultures to allow more people to share the value of Korean cultural heritage.
The surge in museum visitors has resulted in internal congestion and traffic congestion around the museum entrance, which are challenges that need to be addressed. In response, a spokesperson from the National Museum of Korea said, "To disperse visitors, we will construct a children's museum on the museum grounds next door and will also undertake research to improve the visitor system."
Earlier, Minster Choi Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism visited the National Museum of Korea on the 3rd to inspect the recent increase in museum visitors and the situation of museum sales. Minister Choi said, "The National Museum of Korea is the foundation of K-culture's identity and sustainability, and a core hub for the high value-added cultural industry," and emphasized, "We will do our best to ensure that the museum's assets and our traditional heritage can be a growth engine for achieving the government's target of a 300 trillion won K-culture market."