Silla gold crowns that sparked museum ‘open runs’ to reunite in Gyeongju every decade

Silla gold crowns that sparked museum ‘open runs’ to reunite in Gyeongju every decade: Travel / 연합뉴스 / 2026-02-11 13:35:00

▲ Silla gold crowns are unveiled during a press preview of the special exhibition "Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige," held at the Gyeongju National Museum on Oct. 27, 2025, to mark the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the museum’s 80th anniversary. Photo courtesy of the Gyeongju National Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap) -- The Silla gold crowns that symbolize the kingdom’s splendid golden culture will be brought together in Gyeongju once every 10 years under a new long-term exhibition plan.

Attention is growing over whether the gold crowns — whose 1,500-year-old luster once triggered museum “open runs,” with visitors rushing in as soon as doors opened — will become a consistently popular flagship exhibition.

The Gyeongju National Museum said Wednesday it plans to hold a large-scale exhibition on Silla gold crowns every decade by bringing together domestic and international research.

It marks the first time a Korean museum has announced plans to regularly stage exhibitions centered on a specific artifact or theme.

Since 2023, the museum has been carrying out the “Wolji Project,” which focuses on reorganizing artifacts excavated from Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond in Gyeongju, though the project emphasizes research rather than exhibitions.

“The golden culture of Silla is one of the most defining characteristics of Silla civilization,” a museum official said. “We plan to establish it as a signature exhibition brand of the Gyeongju National Museum.”

▲ Silla gold crowns. Photo courtesy of the Gyeongju National Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

In 2035, the museum plans to gather six Silla gold crowns along with major gold crown artifacts excavated both in Korea and abroad. The exhibition will examine not only headband-style crowns but also gold crowns that functioned as head coverings.

The year 2035 will also mark the 90th anniversary of the museum’s opening.

Silla gold crowns are widely regarded as the “face” of the Gyeongju National Museum.

They are considered tangible evidence of the peak of Silla’s golden culture, which flourished for about 150 years from the late fifth to early sixth century, and serve as historical materials reflecting political power and social order of the time.

They are also praised as highly original among ancient East Asian ornaments, noted for their craftsmanship and level of completion.

After a special exhibition held last year to mark the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the museum’s 80th anniversary drew huge crowds, the museum decided to institutionalize regular gatherings of Silla gold crowns.

The exhibition titled "Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige," held at the Gyeongju National Museum, brought together six gold crowns and six gold belts for the first time in about 104 years since Silla gold crowns were first introduced to the public.

Among the crowns, those excavated from Geumryeong Tomb and Hwangnamdaechong Tomb are usually displayed at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, while the crowns from Geumgwanchong Tomb, Gyodong Tomb and Cheonmachong Tomb are housed at the Gyeongju National Museum.

The gold crown from Seobongchong Tomb has been on display at the Cheongju National Museum since May 2023.

The long-held archaeological dream of reuniting Silla gold crowns drew even more attention when it was revealed that a replica of the Cheonmachong crown had been presented to former U.S. President Donald Trump during a Korea-U.S. summit held just before the exhibition opened.

As crowds surged in what was dubbed a “gold crown open run,” the museum adjusted viewing times to 30-minute intervals and introduced an online reservation system, limiting daily admissions to 2,550 visitors.

As of March 9, a total of 251,052 people had visited the exhibition, and the cumulative figure is expected to reach around 300,000 when remaining viewing slots are taken into account.

Following the exhibition, the museum plans to further promote Silla gold crowns at home and abroad.

Next month, the gold crown from Geumgwanchong Tomb and other gold ornaments will travel to Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, for the first time. From September to November, a “National Treasure Traveling Exhibition” focusing on gold crowns will be held in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province.

To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and France, the museum will also co-host an exhibition titled "Silla: Gold and Sacredness" with the Guimet Museum in Paris in May, spotlighting Silla as the first unified state on the Korean Peninsula.

Later this year, the Shanghai Museum in China will host an exhibition introducing Silla’s history and culture.

As some in the local community call for all six Silla gold crowns to be permanently displayed in their “hometown” of Gyeongju, attention is being paid to how such views may affect the museum’s mid- to long-term plans.

“We will actively work to promote Silla’s history and culture as the roots of K-culture at home and abroad, using Silla gold crowns as a bridge,” said Yoon Sang-deok, director of the Gyeongju National Museum.