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Museum brand MU:DS posts record $30 million in sales amid Korean culture boom

Published: 30 Dec. 2025, 12:42

Visitors are seen at the gift shop of the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Oct. 17. [YONHAP]

The National Museum of Korea's official merchandise brand MU:DS has surpassed 40 billion won ($29.9 million) in annual sales for the first time, driven by surging global interest in Korean traditional culture, officials said on Tuesday.

According to the National Museum Foundation of Korea, provisional data showed that cumulative sales of MU:DS products exceeded 40 billion won this month, breaking the previous record just two months after crossing the 30 billion-won mark in October. It marks the highest sales figure since the foundation was established in 2004.

Launched as a line of goods inspired by the museum's artifacts, the name MU:DS combines the words “museum” and “goods.” Its hit products include jewelry modeled after gold crowns from the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935); lamps shaped like the Seokguram Grotto, a Buddhist shrine; and a miniature of the Pensive Bodhisattva, which is famous among BTS fans for being owned by member RM.

Sales jumped sharply in mid-2025, fueled by the global wave of Korean culture. Monthly revenues, which had averaged around 2 billion won in the second quarter, more than doubled to about 4.95 billion won in July and hit 5.27 billion won in August. Analysts say the spike coincided with the renewed global fascination with Korean heritage following the worldwide success of Netflix's animated film “KPop Demon Hunters," released in June.

Visitors are seen at the gift shop of the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul on Oct. 17. [YONHAP]

The brand maintained strong momentum through the autumn, recording around 4 to 5 billion won monthly from September to November, with December figures expected to stay above 4 billion won. The foundation said final year-end totals could climb even higher when revenue from offline museum stores, online shops and royalty income is taken into account.

The “MU:DS craze” has also sparked so-called open-run scenes, in which visitors rush in as soon as the museum doors open to buy popular items. The number of visitors to the National Museum of Korea surpassed 6 million as of 2 p.m. on Dec. 11, the highest since its founding in 1945.

The foundation has recently stepped up efforts to expand overseas. MU:DS made its international debut at the Osaka, Kansai, Japan Expo last May and opened its first permanent promotional space at the Korean Cultural Center in Hong Kong in October. To mark the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic ties next year, the foundation is planning a joint project themed “smile” with GrandPalaisRmn, an affiliate of the French Culture Ministry. The two organizations are expected to release products inspired by iconic cultural artifacts from both countries, including the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum and the Pensive Bodhisattva at the National Museum of Korea.

Yonhap