National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Raises International Masters Exhibition Admission to 8,000 Won...Differentiated Pricing Maintained

8,000 Won Admission for International Masters Exhibition in March
Admission Fee for Do Ho Suh Exhibition in August Undecided
2,000 Won Tiered Pricing Maintained for Other Exhibitions

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will raise the admission fee for this year's 'International Master' exhibition to 8,000 won.

The London Bagel Museum exhibition opened last year at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. Courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

According to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on January 7, the museum has set the admission fee for the 'International Master' exhibition, the Damien Hirst exhibition opening in March and August, at 8,000 won.

The standard admission fee for regular exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is 2,000 won, but a differential pricing system has been applied to major special exhibitions. For example, last year, the admission fee for the London Bagel Museum exhibition was set at 5,000 won. Based on this, the admission fee for the upcoming International Master exhibition represents a 60% increase from the previous rate.

The main reason for the fee increase is cited as rising artwork transportation costs. The museum explained that exhibitions that bring in large numbers of overseas works incur significant expenses for transportation and insurance. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art stated, "Of this year's 3 billion won budget for the Damien Hirst exhibition, transportation costs account for about 70%."

Last year's London Bagel Museum exhibition, which also had a 3 billion won budget, attracted 530,000 visitors and was considered a success in terms of attendance. However, admission revenue was only about 2.5 billion won, falling short of the break-even point.

However, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art plans to maintain the 2,000 won admission fee for other exhibitions except for the International Master exhibition, and will continue its free admission policy for socially disadvantaged groups and young people.

A museum official stated, "The admission fee for the Damien Hirst exhibition in March is set at 8,000 won, but fees for other exhibitions are flexible," adding, "We will make selective decisions based on various factors, especially when there is a high proportion of overseas transportation involved."

This admission fee increase comes amid ongoing discussions about charging for permanent exhibitions, led by the National Museum of Korea. At the '2025 Museum and Art Museum Development Policy Seminar' hosted by the Korean Museum Association last month, Professor Kook Seongha of Yonsei University Graduate School of Education suggested that if the National Museum of Korea introduces an admission fee of 5,000 to 10,000 won starting in 2027, it could generate approximately 35 billion won in revenue, which could be used to improve museum services.