Cumulative Visitors Reach 4.19 Million as of August 25
Expected to Surpass 5 Million This Year... Hopes for 6 Million
Average of 24,000 Daily Visitors
Daily Capacity of 18,000 Exceeded
"Budget and Facilities Remain at 2005 Levels"
Calls Grow for Paid Admission Policy
Thanks to the popularity of the Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," the National Museum of Korea is attracting large crowds and is expected to set a new all-time record for annual visitors this year.
According to the National Museum of Korea on August 26, the cumulative number of visitors from January 1 to August 25 this year reached 4,189,822. This figure significantly surpasses last year's total of 3,788,785 visitors. If this trend continues, the cumulative number of visitors for 2025 is expected to exceed 5 million. Achieving 5 million visitors would mark the first time in the 80-year history of the National Museum of Korea since its opening in 1945.
The monthly number of visitors, which stood at 513,262 in January and 543,361 in February, has steadily increased, reaching 747,679 in July. On average, about 24,000 people visited the museum each day. The number of visitors this month has already surpassed 700,000.
In particular, there has been a significant increase in the number of young visitors in their 20s and 30s. The success of the Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters" has greatly heightened interest among younger generations. The museum explained, "Traditional motifs such as 'gat' and 'tiger' featured in the film have become major talking points, and interest in the Korean Wave is now expanding to traditional culture." The total annual number of visitors to the 13 museums affiliated with the National Museum of Korea has also exceeded 10 million for two consecutive years.
The increase in visitors is expected to continue for some time. In particular, with the Golden Week holidays in October, even more people are expected to visit, and the museum anticipates the cumulative number of visitors could reach as high as 6 million.
Sales of merchandise have also risen, with approximately 11.5 billion won in sales achieved in just the first half of this year.
24,000 Daily Visitors...Exceeding Capacity of 18,000
On the 21st, at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Megi Kang, director of the Netflix animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" (second from the left), is watching the video while listening to explanations from officials together with Director Yong Hongjun (third from the left) in the Digital Immersive Video Hall. Photo by Yonhap News
However, the museum's visitor capacity, which has remained unchanged since the Yongsan opening in 2005, remains an issue to be addressed. The maximum daily capacity set at the time was 18,000 visitors, a number that has already been greatly exceeded, raising concerns about safety and other potential risks.
The museum has added more safety lines and security personnel to protect artifacts and visitors, but there are calls for more fundamental improvements.
Severe parking shortages around the museum are also a major problem. Even on weekdays, lines of cars waiting to enter the parking lot stretch for hundreds of meters. The museum advises that it typically takes more than one hour to enter the parking lot.
To disperse visitors, the museum plans to build a new Children's Museum on its grounds. By 2029, the facility will be expanded to three times its current size and will include family-friendly rest areas.
A museum official stated, "With the budget and facility size remaining the same as when the Yongsan location opened in 2005, the increase in visitors has created a number of challenges," adding, "There is a need to increase both the budget and staff." Some have also suggested that the free admission policy, which has been maintained since the museum's opening, should be reconsidered in order to expand opportunities for experiencing Korean culture and to allow for unrestricted enjoyment of cultural activities.
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