"These days even a cup of coffee is 5,000 won, so wouldn't it be okay to charge about 3,000 won for admission?"
On the 11th in the afternoon, after finishing a visit to the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, a student surnamed Jeong (15) said this. Jeong said the visit was a middle school group tour.
On this day, when the National Museum of Korea's cumulative visitors for the year surpassed 6 million, interviews with visitors leaving the museum found that most supported charging admission. The most common responses picked 3,000–5,000 won as an appropriate fee.
Of the 21 visitors met on site that day, 15 (71%) said they supported charging admission. A person surnamed Kwon (54), met in front of the gift shop, said, "When you pay, you focus more," and added, "It would be good for people to recognize the value of the artifacts." Kim Nayoung (38), who visited with her daughter, also said, "The National Museum of Korea is well managed, so I come often," and, "If the admission fee is used to strengthen facility maintenance and management, that's positive."
When asked about an appropriate price if admission were charged, the prevailing view was that "5,000 won or less" would be suitable. Some said "around 10,000 won is also possible," but many answered that "exceeding 5,000 won would be burdensome."
A person surnamed Yeom (72) from Songpa District said, "A minimum is necessary if future generations are to continue enjoying valuable cultural heritage," and, "About 3,000 won should be charged." Kim Eunju (42) from Guri, Gyeonggi Province, said, "I support the idea of an admission fee itself, but I hope there will be no differential pricing for domestic and foreign visitors like at the Louvre Museum in France."
There were also views opposing charging admission. A person surnamed Lee (24) said, "If you start charging, older people may not be able to come comfortably," and, "Just because foreign museums charge admission doesn't mean we have to follow suit."
The discussion on charging admission at the National Museum of Korea picked up after a National Assembly audit in Oct. Director Yoo Hong-jun of the National Museum of Korea said at the time that the timing and method of charging admission were under review. The view is that while visitor numbers are rising fast, the operating budget is not keeping pace.
In fact, the National Museum of Korea's annual visitor count, which was 3,354,161 in 2019, fell temporarily during COVID-19, then rose to 3,411,381 in 2022 and 4,180,285 in 2023. Last year it recorded 3,788,785, and this year it surpassed 5 million in 10 months and, for the first time, reached the 6 million mark.
By contrast, the museum's operating budget for this year is about 32.562 billion won, actually down 3.5% from last year. The collection acquisition budget has been frozen at 3.979 billion won for five years since 2020. That is less than 2015, 10 years ago, when it was 3.98 billion won.
Most major museums overseas charge admission for their permanent exhibitions. The Louvre Museum in France charges 22 euros (about 36,000 won), and the Vatican Museums charge 20 euros (about 33,000 won). The British Museum maintains free admission, but with the government providing 500 million pounds (about 984.4 billion won) each year, discussions about charging admission continue.
An official at the National Museum of Korea said, "We plan to build a new Children's Museum and expand amenities in line with the increase in visitors," and, "Around July–Aug. 2026, we plan to introduce an integrated customer management system to analyze the effectiveness of charging admission."
However, even if the National Museum of Korea switches to charging admission, the revenue will not be used solely by the museum. All income at the National Museum of Korea, including venue rental fees, product sales, and special exhibition admission fees, is first turned over to the national treasury and then redistributed through the budget. Some note that legal revisions would be needed for the museum to use admission revenue directly.