'K-Pop Demon Hunters' rides the K-culture boom... MU:DS posts 41.3 billion won in sales last year

[Financial News] As K-culture spread globally last year on the back of hits such as "K-Pop Demon Hunters," cultural product sales at the National Museum reached an all-time high. Revenue jumped 1.9 times in just one year, and visitor numbers also set a new record.
On the 13th, the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea announced that its 2025 museum cultural product brand MU:DS (Museum Goods) has presented a new paradigm for utilizing cultural heritage.

MU:DS is a line of cultural products created based on the collections of the National Museum of Korea and its affiliated regional museums. The name combines "museum" and "goods." MU:DS sales surpassed 30 billion won for the first time in October last year and then exceeded 40 billion won just two months later in December, setting record after record.
On a full-year basis, sales totaled approximately 41.337 billion won last year, 1.9 times the roughly 21.284 billion won recorded in 2024. The National Museum of Korea also welcomed 6.5 million visitors, the highest number in its history.

Breaking down MU:DS sales, offline museum shops accounted for more than half, with about 23.391 billion won, or 56.6% of the total. Online sales also reached roughly 12.187 billion won.
By age group, buyers in their 30s and 40s made up the largest share. Among domestic customers who purchased MU:DS products at museum shops, those in their 30s accounted for 35.4% of all buyers, the highest proportion. They were followed by those in their 40s (25.9%) and those aged 50 and older (16.4%).
Looking at the ratio of domestic to overseas visitors who purchased MU:DS products at the museum, domestic buyers accounted for 90.4% and overseas buyers for 9.6%.
In terms of bestsellers, "K-Pop Demon Hunters" sparked a global craze last year, propelling the Magpie Tiger Badge, modeled after a character from the film, to the top spot with sales of around 90,000 units. The Tipsy Scholars Trio Color-Changing Cup Set, whose surface reveals a scholar’s face turning red when a cold drink is poured in, also sold about 60,000 sets, generating 1.5 billion won in revenue. Towels featuring patterns from the gonryongpo royal dragon robe, the king’s ceremonial attire, and brooches inspired by the Crown of Silla also drew strong attention.


Through collaborations with a wide range of industries, the foundation is also expanding the scope of how cultural heritage is utilized.
With Starbucks Corporation, it launched tumblers, mugs, and other items inspired by "A Room of Quiet Contemplation," one of the National Museum of Korea’s signature exhibition spaces. In partnership with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), it developed products that apply the Magpie Tiger Badge design to national team uniforms, caps, and T-shirts to commemorate a national team exhibition game. The Bichobi National Museum Edition, created with Orion Corporation, features 20 artifacts selected to mark the 20th anniversary of the museum’s relocation to Yongsan, printed on the packaging.
MU:DS has also teamed up with the beauty industry. The Medicube Booster Pro Irworobongdo Edition, co-produced with APR Corporation, was presented in October last year to the spouses of heads of state who visited Gyeongju during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. With Amorepacific Corporation, it released a hand care set featuring designs from mother-of-pearl artifacts.
A foundation representative said, "From 2021 to the present, we have collaborated with a total of 11 companies on product development and other projects," adding, "Sales generated through partner companies accounted for about 24.6% of last year’s total revenue."

MU:DS has also proven its competitiveness overseas.
Starting with an exhibition at the Korea Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan in May last year, the brand expanded its global network through K-fairs held in Toronto, Madrid, and Dubai, as well as a Korean Wave expo in New York City.
In particular, at the Lee Kun-hee Collection exhibition currently being held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., all MU:DS products sold out within a week of the opening.
The foundation plans to further strengthen cooperation with overseas museums and continue its global expansion in connection with major international events such as the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Jung Yong-seok, president of the Cultural Foundation of National Museum of Korea, said, "MU:DS is a brand that does not leave cultural heritage locked in the past, but allows it to live and breathe in our everyday lives today," adding, "We will continue to expand the new possibilities for utilizing cultural heritage."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter