Product Box Looks Like 'National Museum of Korea Merch'... This Dancheong-Decorated Snack Is Making Waves

Packaging featuring Gwanghwamun, Irworobongdo, and mother-of-pearl furniture
A product developed in collaboration with the Korea Heritage Service also debuts
Interest in "traditional beauty worth keeping" rises

With Pepero Day (November 11) approaching, Pepero is drawing attention for its packaging even before its contents. Designs featuring Gwanghwamun, Irworobongdo, and traditional palace dancheong patterns have prompted comparisons to “National Museum of Korea merchandise.” The packaging has been praised for capturing the beauty of Korea in snack boxes that people might want to keep rather than throw away. Recently, photos of snack boxes featuring traditional Korean designs have been posted on social media. In particular, packaging with vivid dancheong patterns on a black background or featuring iconic Korean buildings and traditional paintings has attracted interest.

Online users commented, “It looks like National Museum of Korea merchandise” and “It would make a perfect gift for foreign visitors.” Some said they wanted to keep the packaging rather than eat the snacks, while others praised the team behind the designs. The familiar snack, they said, would also make a fitting souvenir of a trip to Korea.

Not all Pepero products with traditional designs were first introduced this year. In 2024, Lotte Wellfood introduced the “Pepero Landmark Edition,” featuring Gwanghwamun, King Sejong, and Irworobongdo, to target foreign tourists.

The designs introduced at the time came in two versions. One featured Irworobongdo, Gwanghwamun, and an image of King Sejong; the other paired Gwanghwamun and a dancheong floral pattern with a background reminiscent of traditional mother-of-pearl furniture. The company said it planned to sell the products at Lotte Mart stores specializing in serving foreign visitors, airport convenience stores, duty-free shops, and other locations frequented by tourists. This year’s “Pepero Palace Dancheong Edition” was developed in collaboration with the Korea Heritage Service. Its packaging features dancheong patterns from Injeongjeon Hall at Changdeokgung Palace, highlighting the contrast between the black background and colorful designs.

Lotte Wellfood introduced the "Pepero Landmark Edition," featuring Gwanghwamun, King Sejong, and Irworobongdo, in 2024 to target foreign tourists. Lotte Wellfood

Meanwhile, interest in products inspired by traditional culture is also evident in the museum merchandise market. A leading example is MU:DS, a cultural merchandise brand based on the collections of the National Museum of Korea and regional national museums. Its name combines “museum” and “goods,” and the brand turns the beauty of artifacts into products people can enjoy in everyday life.

According to data released in July by the National Museum Foundation of Korea, MU:DS sales reached 21.8 billion won in the first half of this year, up about 90% from the same period a year earlier. About 12,000 miniature versions of the Pensive Bodhisattva were sold in the first half alone, bringing cumulative sales to more than 61,000. Products that incorporate the forms and patterns of artifacts into household goods have also been well received. Examples include a dancheong keyboard, a wine stopper modeled on Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s jeonrip hat, and a moon jar door chime. MU:DS sales to foreign customers at the National Museum of Korea also reached about 1 billion won in the first half, nearly double the figure for the same period last year.

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