"Over 5.1 Million Visitors... National Museum of Korea Ranks 5th Globally"

National Museum of Korea Official Website

According to data submitted by the National Museum of Korea to the National Assembly on October 22, as of the 20th of this month, the annual number of visitors was tallied at 5,103,709. This is the first time since the museum’s opening in 1945 (then the National Museum) that the annual number of visitors has exceeded 5 million.

"Over 5.1 Million Visitors... National Museum of Korea Ranks 5th Globally"

Based on the 2024 global museum visitor survey published by The Art Newspaper, an art media outlet headquartered in the UK, the National Museum of Korea ranks among the world's top five museums with over 5 million annual visitors, following the Louvre Museum in Paris, France; the Vatican Museums in Vatican City, Italy; the British Museum in London, UK; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA.

The museum previously explained, "With the spread of K-culture, both domestic and international interest in traditional culture has grown, and the scale of visitors has expanded to the level of professional baseball audiences."

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Over 5.1 Million Visitors... Now Ranked 5th in the World

National Museum of Korea I Seoul, Republic of Korea

Yonhap News, Photo by Oh Hyunyoung

To Maintain '5 Million Visitors'... "Reservation System to Be Introduced Next Year Prior to Paid Admission Discussions"

Yoo Hongjun, Director of the National Museum of Korea, stated at a press conference held on October 28 that, before discussing paid admission in response to the surge in visitors, the museum plans to first implement a reservation system and an integrated customer management system.

He explained that with the current counting method, it is impossible to categorize visitors by age or nationality, but with a reservation system, visitors could be managed more systematically and efficiently. He also stated that there are no plans to introduce paid admission simply to restrict access. However, in order to maintain over 5 million visitors even if paid admission is introduced, the museum will hold a public hearing next year and engage in various discussions.

Participants are posing for a commemorative photo in makeup at the "2025 National Museum Makeup Contest" held at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The National Museum of Korea is bustling with people browsing souvenirs. Photo by Choi Youngchan

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1st. Louvre Museum (Musee du Louvre) I Paris, France

UPI·AP Yonhap News Agency

By number of visitors, the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, remains the undisputed world leader. The Louvre attracts 8 million visitors annually, while the Vatican Museums (2nd) and the British Museum (3rd) each receive between 5 and 6 million visitors. The world’s top 10 museums by visitor numbers are mostly located in Europe and the United States. Recently, the Louvre has been in the global spotlight due to a high-profile theft case, which is still under investigation.

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2nd. Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) I State della Citta del Vaticano

Getty Images

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3rd. The British Museum I London, UK

Getty Images, Photo by Oh Hyunyoung

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4th. The Metropolitan Museum of Art I New York, USA

EasyNBooks, Tripadvisor

The Metropolitan Museum of Art homepage

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5th* As of 2024. Tate Modern I London, UK

One of the top museums in the world has emerged in our country, with the Netflix animation 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' being credited as the main contributor.

The number of visitors surged from 450,000 in June, when K-Pop Demon Hunters was released, to 720,000 in July and 840,000 in August.

While enjoying the exhibition, visitors who are willing to open their wallets to own related merchandise (Myutjeu) are also increasing.

There are still challenges remaining despite surpassing 5 million visitors.

The proportion of foreign visitors at the National Museum of Korea exceeded 5% for the first time this year, whereas the Louvre and the British Museum have foreign visitor rates exceeding 70%.

"There is a need to promote exhibition content overseas and expand programs for foreigners"... "Multinational accessibility should be strengthened in exhibition explanations, souvenirs, and reservation systems" - Cultural Sector