Popularity of "Myuz" by the National Museum Cultural Foundation
Growth since 2020, sales surpassed 20 billion KRW last year
Annual open calls bring a variety of creative products
Focus on practical goods embodying the value of traditional culture
"The stories within the artifacts are a major attraction"
Traditional culture goods presented by the National Museum Cultural Foundation are gaining significant popularity, giving rise to the new term "Myuz" (museum goods). Having gradually attracted attention over the past two to three years, Myuz has recently garnered worldwide interest, coinciding with the success of the Netflix animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters."
Citizens visiting the National Museum of Korea are lining up to enter. According to the National Museum of Korea, the total number of visitors from July 1 to 30 this year was 694,552. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the National Museum Cultural Foundation on August 6, sales of Myuz at national museums across the country reached 21,284,000,000 KRW last year. This represents a 222% increase compared to 2021 (6,591,000,000 KRW), and about a 42% growth year-on-year. The number of online product visitors and daily visitors has also surged from the previous level of around 7,000 to over 300,000 recently. On new product reservation days, the number of website visitors even reached 500,000. Sales for the first half of this year were 11,400,000,000 KRW, and if this trend continues, annual sales are expected to surpass last year's performance.
Myuz products are planned and produced directly by the National Museum Cultural Foundation, and recently, products developed in collaboration with external companies selected through open calls have also been introduced. The competition for these open calls is extremely fierce. This year, about 3,000 types of products were submitted, and 90 were selected. One of them, the "Gonryongpo Beach Towel," sold out immediately after its release. The first batch of 500 units has already sold out, and an additional 1,000 units are scheduled to be supplied on the 18th.
The "Drunken Scholar Color-Changing Glass Set," one of the most popular Myuz products, was also selected through an open call. The glass cups feature the image of a drunken scholar from Kim Hongdo's painting "Feast of the Governor of Pyeongan Province," and are coated with thermochromic pigment so that the face on the cup turns red when a drink below 18 degrees Celsius is poured in. Since its launch in December 2023, more than 100,000 units have been sold. In addition, a variety of other practical products such as lamps, keyboards, pens, bookmarks, hot packs, and sauce bowls are also gaining popularity for their usefulness in daily life.
Kim Mikyung, Head of the Product Business Division at the National Museum Cultural Foundation, analyzed, "The modern reinterpretation of traditional cultural content is proving popular. I think the practical composition of the products has been a key factor," adding, "Many people appreciate the stories embedded in the artifacts."
A high proportion of participants in the Myuz open calls are individual designers or small companies with fewer than five employees. The Foundation stated, "There are no special restrictions on who can apply, so anyone with an idea can take on the challenge," and added, "These days, there are many one-person companies with strong design capabilities, and their response has been especially enthusiastic."
However, the inability to smoothly meet demand is cited as a drawback. Despite relatively high prices, it is often difficult to obtain the products themselves. For example, the "Peony and Mandarin Duck Set" (40,000 KRW), the "Secret Royal Inspector Embroidered Magnet Bookmark" (12,000 KRW), and the "Celadon Inlaid Chrysanthemum Pattern Coffee Cup" (75,000 KRW), all selected in this year's open call, are currently sold out. Kim explained, "Since most participating companies are small, even if demand can be predicted, cash flow sometimes cannot keep up," adding, "We are considering advancing payment settlements or having the Foundation purchase products directly."
Myuz is expanding its reach to the public through various external collaborations beyond museums. Since last year, collaborative products with companies such as HYBE and Starbucks have been introduced, effectively promoting cultural heritage. Kim emphasized, "We are continuing external collaborations so that people can experience cultural heritage even without visiting the museum in person," and added, "This is part of our effort to raise awareness and enhance the value of our cultural heritage content worldwide." In fact, the proportion of foreign buyers has steadily increased, accounting for 13% of the total last year.
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