National Museum museum goods sales top 40 bn won for first time

Annual sales of museum goods sold by the National Museum of Korea have surpassed 40 billion won ($28 million) for the first time.

According to the National Museum Foundation of Korea on Tuesday, annual revenue from the museum’s goods exceeded 40 billion won this year, marking the highest level since the foundation’s establishment in 2004. Sales first crossed the 30-billion-won mark in October and climbed into the 40-billion-won range within just two months.

Top-selling items include a miniature of the Pensive Bodhisattva, magpie-and-tiger badges, a Baekje Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner miniature, and lighting inspired by Seokguram Grotto. The Pensive Bodhisattva miniature—known to be owned by BTS member RM—and the magpie-and-tiger badge, which gained popularity following the Netflix animation K-pop Demon Hunters, both sold out amid surging demand.

Monthly sales also rose sharply. Revenue, which had hovered around 2 billion won per month from April to June, jumped to 4.95 billion won in July and climbed further to about 5.27 billion won in August. Industry officials attribute the spike largely to the global success of K-pop Demon Hunters, which was released in June.