"Even RM Bought It"... Museum Goods Popularity Brings 14.9 Billion KRW Sales Last Year

Popularity Surge of Muijeu (Museum Goods)
Sales Soar Led by 20s and 30s Generations

As interest in traditional cultural heritage grows, especially among the MZ generation, sales of products utilizing museum artifacts have surged.

Miniature of the National Treasure Banpasayusang.
[Image source provided by the National Museum Cultural Foundation]

On the 3rd, the National Museum Cultural Foundation announced that last year’s sales of 'Muijeu' (museum goods - products using museum artifacts) amounted to 14.9 billion KRW. This represents a 27% increase compared to the annual sales in 2022 (approximately 11.7 billion KRW). Compared to the pre-COVID period (8.6 billion KRW), sales nearly doubled.

A foundation official stated, "In terms of annual sales, we have surpassed the previous record set in 2022."

The best-selling product last year was the 'Ban-gasayusang Miniature,' a small-sized replica of the nationally treasured Ban-gasayusang statue, well known for its mysterious smile. Since its initial release in 2020, it has gained great popularity among the MZ generation, with BTS member RM reportedly owning one. In fact, people in their 20s and 30s account for 60% of 'Muijeu' sales.

As of the end of December last year, about 4,400 units of the Ban-gasayusang Miniature were sold, generating approximately 274 million KRW in sales.

Other popular items include a liquor bottle and cup set inspired by the 'Baekja Cheonghwa Chohwamun Pyeonbyeong,' a representative artifact of the National Jeonju Museum, and celadon cups created in collaboration with ceramic artist Sim Bo-geun’s brand 'MUJAGI.'

The scene of the 'Myuths' pop-up store held in May last year. [Image source: Provided by the National Museum Cultural Foundation]

The foundation reported that in the second year since the launch of 'Muijeu,' the brand has become widely known, leading to an increase in collaborative product development and the operation of pop-up stores in department stores, which boosted product sales. Encouraged by this, the foundation plans to develop and introduce various new products this year as well.

A foundation official said, "Considering the continuous increase in foreign visitors, we plan to focus on developing products that utilize the museum’s representative artifacts to commemorate visits to the museum."