National Museum of Korea draws 1.15 million visitors in two months, eyes another 6 million year

National Museum of Korea draws 1.15 million visitors in two months, eyes another 6 million year: Travel / 연합뉴스 / 2026-02-20 15:12:06

▲ Visitors move through exhibition galleries during an event celebrating 300,000 visitors to the special exhibition "Our Yi Sun-sin" at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan district on Feb. 19, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- The number of visitors to the National Museum of Korea has already reached about 1.15 million in the first two months of the year, raising expectations that annual attendance could again surpass 6 million.

According to the museum on Friday, a total of 1,158,898 people visited the museum from Jan. 1 to Feb. 18, up 38.9 percent from 834,213 visitors recorded during the same period last year.

Of the total, 1,138,910 were South Koreans and 19,988 were foreign visitors, with foreigners accounting for about 1.7 percent of overall attendance.

By month, 730,473 people visited in January, while 428,425 came to the museum so far this month.

In particular, a total of 86,464 people visited the museum over two days during the Lunar New Year holiday, on Feb. 16 and 18. That translates to an average of 43,232 visitors per day, far exceeding the museum’s recommended daily capacity of 15,000, which takes into account facility size and fire safety regulations.

The figure is about 2.7 times higher than the 32,193 visitors recorded during the Lunar New Year holiday period last year.

A museum official said the National Museum of Korea is increasingly establishing itself as a “cultural landmark for holidays,” drawing large crowds every Lunar New Year.

If the current trend continues, annual visitor numbers are expected to reach around 6 million this year. In 2024, the museum attracted 6,507,483 visitors, the highest figure since its opening in 1945 as the National Museum, and one that ranks among the top-tier attendance figures for major museums and galleries worldwide.

At an event held Thursday to mark the special exhibition "Our Yi Sun-sin," museum director Yoo Hong-joon said the figures reflect “the level of cultural maturity that shows how much the public loves and uses museums.”

▲ Yoo Hong-joon, director of the National Museum of Korea, delivers opening remarks during an event marking 300,000 visitors to the special exhibition "Our Yi Sun-sin" at the museum in Seoul’s Yongsan district on Feb. 19, 2026. (Yonhap)

“An annual attendance of around 6.5 million would rank about third among museums and art galleries worldwide based on last year’s figures,” Yoo said, adding that the museum is “at least expected to place within the top five.”

Visitor numbers are expected to rise further later this month. The museum will offer free admission to the "Our Yi Sun-sin" exhibition on Feb. 25 and on Independence Movement Day, March 1, and will also host a collaborative event starting Feb. 26 to celebrate the release of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK’s new mini-album "DEADLINE."

“We will continue to enhance the quality of our exhibitions and improve the visitor environment so that people can encounter our cultural heritage from fresh perspectives,” Yoo said.