Museum brand MU:DS posts record first-half sales

Products from a BTS and MU:DS collaboration are displayed inside the National Museum of Korea museum shop in March. Courtesy of National Museum of Korea

Sales of cultural merchandise from Korea's national museums topped 20 billion won ($13 million) for the first time in the first half of this year, driven by the global popularity of Korean culture, sources in the cultural sector said Monday.

The National Museum Foundation of Korea's official merchandise brand MU:DS recorded about 21.8 billion won in sales from January to June, up roughly 90 percent from 11.48 billion won a year earlier, according to the sources.

MU:DS — a portmanteau of "museum" and "goods" — produces items inspired by key artifacts housed at the National Museum of Korea and its regional affiliates. Since the foundation's launch in 2004, the brand has grown steadily, surpassing 10 billion won in annual sales for the first time in 2022 and reaching a record 41.3 billion won last year.

This year's first-half sales have already exceeded MU:DS' total revenue for 2024, which stood at about 21.28 billion won.

Foreign customers accounted for around 1 billion won in sales during the period, nearly doubling from a year earlier, a foundation official said.

Among the bestselling items were miniature replicas of the gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva, one of the National Museum's best-known national treasures. About 12,000 units sold this year alone, bringing total sales to over 60,000. The miniature drew widespread attention after it was revealed that RM of K-pop supergroup BTS owns two of them.

Miniature replicas of the gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva, one of the best-known national treasures at the National Museum of Korea / Courtesy of National Museum Foundation of Korea

Other popular items included wine stoppers linked to a special exhibition on Admiral Yi Sun-sin and keyboards featuring the patterns of "dancheong," traditional Korean multicolored paintwork on wooden buildings.

A collaboration product released in March to coincide with the long-awaited comeback of K-pop supergroup BTS generated 43 million won in sales over two days through preorders, according to the sources.

Rising visitor numbers have also boosted demand for the MU:DS merchandise. The museum recorded 3.26 million visitors between January and May, compared with 2.24 million during the same period last year. Officials expect annual attendance to reach or exceed 6 million for the second consecutive year.

The foundation said it plans to expand its product lineup and accelerate efforts to enter overseas markets.

"We will strengthen our brand's competitiveness so that people around the world can experience the value of Korea's cultural heritage in their daily lives," foundation president Choung Yong-suk said.