National Museum of Korea Ranks Third Worldwide, Surpassing British Museum... Behind Only the Louvre and Vatican

The Art Newspaper Survey: National Museum of Korea Rises to Top 3, Surpassing the British Museum
Over 6.5 Million Visitors Last Year
Five Korean Museums and Art Institutions Rank in the Global Top 100

The National Museum of Korea ranked third in the world for museum visitors last year, surpassing both the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Visitors are moving through the exhibition rooms at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On April 1, the National Museum of Korea announced that, according to the '2025 World Museum Visitor Survey' by the British art-specialized media outlet The Art Newspaper, it recorded 6,507,483 annual visitors, placing it third worldwide.

The only museums that attracted more visitors than the National Museum of Korea were the Louvre Museum in France and the Vatican Museums. The Louvre Museum recorded 9,046,000 visitors, while the Vatican Museums had 6,933,822. Following the National Museum of Korea in third place, the British Museum recorded 6,440,120 visitors, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art had 5,984,091 visitors.

The Art Newspaper noted that the number of visitors to the National Museum of Korea surged by over 70% compared to the previous year, highlighting it as a remarkable example even in terms of absolute growth. The outlet stated, "The most striking increase was seen in Korea."

Other national cultural institutions in Korea also made it into the top 100 worldwide. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art ranked 35th, the Gyeongju National Museum 39th, the Buyeo National Museum 78th, and the Gongju National Museum 89th. The Art Newspaper reported that the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art saw a 28% increase year-on-year, reaching 2.1 million visitors, while regional branches of the national museums also recorded significant growth.

Interest in Korean cultural heritage abroad continues to rise. The overseas tour exhibition of items donated by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, held by the National Museum of Korea in Washington, D.C., drew around 80,000 visitors. The curator’s explanatory video surpassed 1 million views, marking the highest number of views in the past decade.

This upward trend has continued into this year. In the first quarter of this year, the National Museum of Korea recorded a total of 2,023,888 visitors, a 44.8% increase over the same period last year. The museum plans to host a series of special exhibitions, including the ‘Thai Art Exhibition’ in June, ‘Our Dining Table’ in July, ‘Masterpieces from the Kunsthaus Zurich’ in November, and ‘Marie Antoinette Style’ in December.

Yoo Hongjun, Director of the National Museum of Korea, stated, “As K-Culture spreads, the growing interest in Korea’s traditional culture and cultural heritage, which form its roots, has led to increased museum visits—a meaningful outcome.” He added, “We will continue to provide broader opportunities for cultural enjoyment and fulfill our role and responsibility as the heart of Korean culture.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.