▲ This undated file photo shows the National Museum of Korea crowded with visitors. (Yonhap)
▲ People wait in line to enter the National Museum of Korea in Seoul in January 2026, in this photo provided by the National Museum of Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

national museum-ranking

National Museum of Korea ranks 3rd globally in visitor numbers in 2025

SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- The National Museum of Korea ranked third in the world for visitor numbers in 2025, surpassing the British Museum and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, according to industry data.

The South Korean museum drew 6.5 million visitors in 2025, a 70 percent increase from the previous year, the British art magazine The Art Newspaper reported in its annual visitor survey released Tuesday.

The National Museum of Korea trailed only the Louvre in Paris, which topped the list with 9 million visitors, and the Vatican Museums with 6.9 million. The British Museum placed fourth with 6.4 million visitors, followed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art with 5.98 million.

Other South Korean museums placed in the global top 100, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, at No. 35; the Gyeongju National Museum at No. 39; and the Buyeo and Gongju national museums at Nos. 78 and 89, respectively.

The Art Newspaper described South Korea as showing "the most remarkable growth" among all countries surveyed.

The National Museum's touring exhibition of art pieces donated by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee has also attracted about 80,000 visitors in Washington, D.C., according to the museum, as interest in Korean cultural heritage expands overseas.

Visitor growth has continued into this year, with 2 million people visiting the museum in the first quarter, up 44.8 percent from a year earlier.

The museum plans to host various special exhibitions, including one featuring Thai art in June and another showcasing masterpieces from Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland's largest art museum, in November.

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