Museum’s ‘MU:DS’ goods become cultural collectibles
Crowds are lining up at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, not only for exhibitions but also for pins, pens and beach towels. The museum’s merchandise shop has seen a surge in popularity, driven by a wave of collectible items branded as MU:DS (a combination of the words “museum” and “goods”), with one item in particular sparking a frenzy: the enamel “Kkachi-Tiger” pin, featuring a magpie perched atop a tiger’s head. On July 11, the shop sold out of the pin within 20 minutes of opening, with a notice posted at the entrance reading “Sold Out.” Online, all 17,900 pins available for preorder were snatched up in a twinkling. “We started selling it at 10 a.m., and it was gone in 20 minutes. It’s the fastest we’ve ever seen,” said a museum official. “I came to see the exhibit, but my daughter asked me to get the Kkachi-Tiger pin and a gat-shaped pen,” said Kim Young-soo, 46, visiting from Jeju. “Both were sold out — she was really disappointed.” The pin’s design is inspired by “Hojakdo,” a genre of traditional folk painting that features a
Jul 19, 2025By Hankookilbo