The National Museum of Korea, South Korea’s largest public museum, was the third-most visited museum in the world last year, according to a survey of the world’s top galleries.
In a press release published Wednesday, the National Museum of Korea revealed that the British art magazine The Art Newspaper listed it as the third-most visited museum in the world with over 6.5 million visitors in a 2025 survey, placing it behind only the Louvre, which welcomed over 9 million visitors, and the Vatican Museums, which opened its doors to 6.9 million.
(courtesy of the National Museum of Korea on Instagram)
Visitors to the National Museum of Korea far surpassed those of the British Museum, which ranked third in the same survey in 2024 with 6.4 million visitors, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which ranked fourth in 2024 with 5.9 million visitors.
The Art Newspaper wrote that Korea’s museums accounted for the “most spectacular rise” in visitor numbers.
“The National Museum of Korea’s main venue in Seoul boomed by more than 70%. That is one of the largest rises in absolute numbers we have ever seen,” the publication wrote.
“Branches of the National Museum in Jinju, Gyeongju, Cheongju, Buyeo and Iksan also saw significant rises. Meanwhile, MMCA Seoul [the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art] was up 28% to 2.1 million,” it added.
From the National Museum of Korea’s “Dress Like a Museum Exhibit” competition in 2025. (courtesy of the National Museum of Korea on Instagram)
From the National Museum of Korea’s “Dress Like a Museum Exhibit” competition in 2025. (courtesy of the National Museum of Korea on Instagram)
The MMCA, the Gyeongju National Museum, the Buyeo National Museum, and the Gongju National Museum all made the list of the world’s 100 most-visited art museums, ranking at No. 35, No. 39, No. 78, and No. 89, respectively.
The increase in visitors to the National Museum of Korea can also be seen in numbers for 2026, with the total number of visitors in the first quarter of 2026 at over 2 million, showing a 44.8% quarter-on-quarter increase.
The National Museum of Korea and MMCA’s touring exhibition of art pieces donated by the late chairperson of the Samsung Group, Lee Kun-hee, which premiered in Washington, DC, drew around 80,000 visitors, while the curator’s cut video on the exhibition surpassed a million views on YouTube, making it the most-viewed video on the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art’s channel in 10 years.
With the museum now gaining international recognition as the third-most-visited exhibition venue in the world, the push to start charging admission is expected to gain momentum. On Monday, the Ministry of Planning and Budget revealed in its 2027 budget guidelines that it would adjust user fees for national facilities, demonstrating its intention to introduce paid admission to the flagship Korean museum.
Visitors walk through the main hall of the National Museum of Korea. (courtesy National Museum of Korea)
The National Museum of Korea, located in Seoul’s Yongsan District. (courtesy of the National Museum of Korea)
Credit: www.hani.co.kr
