National Museum of Korea goods sales surge on ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ boom

July sales hit 4.95 bn won, up 180% from a year earlier, as visitor numbers more than double

“It’s the most people I’ve seen here in the 20 years since the National Museum of Korea opened.”

On Aug. 7, 2025, the gift shop at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, was crowded with people looking to purchase MU:DS, the museum’s modern reinterpretations of Korea’s cultural heritage./Park Yong-sun

On the afternoon of Aug. 7, the gift shop at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan District was packed with customers buying MU:DS — short for “museum” and “goods” — including the “Magpie and Tiger badge” and the “Pensive Bodhisattva miniature.”

The National Museum of Korea’s MU:DS "Magpie and Tiger badge," a popular item, is drawing even more attention for its resemblance to "Derpy" from the hit Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters./National Museum of Korea

Shoppers ranged from elementary school children visiting with their mothers during summer break to middle and high school students with friends, as well as adults in their 30s and 40s. Foreign tourists were also among the crowd. Many had come following the popularity of KPop Demon Hunters, a Netflix animated series that blends Korean traditional culture with K-pop themes.

A shop employee said the number of visitors over the past two weeks had been two to three times the usual level. “It’s the first time we’ve seen crowds like this since the National Museum of Korea opened in 2005,” the employee said. “The museum and shop open at 10 a.m., but people start lining up around 9 a.m.”

MU:DS are museum-designed products that reinterpret Korea’s cultural heritage with modern design, creativity, and practicality. Rather than reproducing artifacts exactly as they appear, they are adapted for everyday use.

MU:DS items such as the Pensive Bodhisattva miniature and the Three Drunken Scholars color-changing glass set were sold out./Park Yong-sun

On Aug. 7, roughly one in 10 items on display carried a “Sold Out” sign. Out-of-stock products included the Pensive Bodhisattva miniature, a small white porcelain moon jar, the Three Drunken Scholars color-changing mini glass set, a hand mirror with a tiger pattern, and a Palju-ryeong necklace.

The surge in MU:DS sales is tied to the recent Netflix release of KPop Demon Hunters. The anime’s fusion of Korean heritage and K-pop idols has translated into strong demand for the museum’s goods.

One of the top sellers is the Magpie and Tiger badge, inspired by the traditional folk painting Jak-hodo — depicting a magpie and tiger — and noted for its resemblance to “Derpy,” a tiger character in the series. “The badge is restocked once or twice a week, but not today,” a store representative said. “When it arrives, it sells out by that morning.”

Graphics by Chung Seo-hee

Online sales have followed the same trend. Most items sold out in the shop were also marked “temporarily sold out” on the museum’s online store, which on Aug. 7 was so overloaded with visitors that access was difficult.

MU:DS sales had been climbing even before KPop Demon Hunters aired, rising from 11.69 billion won ($8.45 million) in 2022 to 14.98 billion won in 2023 and 21.28 billion won in 2024. Sales in the first half of 2025 totaled 11.48 billion won. The anime gave the trend another boost — MU:DS sales in July alone reached 4.95 billion won, up 180% from 1.77 billion won in the same month last year.

The boom in MU:DS purchases has also driven up museum attendance. In July, the museum recorded 742,167 visitors, more than double the 361,493 in July 2024, a 105% increase.

The National Museum of Korea aims to turn the current popularity into sustained interest in Korean culture. Plans include expanding the MU:DS lineup and offering a wide range of exhibitions, educational programs, and events that span both Korean and global heritage, enabling more people to share in the value of the nation’s cultural legacy.

On Aug. 3, 2025, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young (center) visited the National Museum of Korea, emphasizing the museum’s role as a “strategic hub” in the growth of K-culture. To his left is Yoo Hong-jun, director of the National Museum of Korea./News1