70% of Foreign Visitors to 14 National Museums Head to the National Museum of Korea; Linking Them to Regional Tourism a Challenge [2026 Parliamentary Audit]

[Financial News] Seven out of every 10 foreign visitors to the National Museum of Korea and its 13 affiliated regional museums went to the central museum in Seoul. This points to the need for measures to connect foreign visitors’ interest in Korean culture with regional tourism.
According to National Museum of Korea parliamentary audit data released on the 19th by Kim Seung-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, the 14 museums drew 411,964 foreign visitors from January through August this year. The National Museum of Korea accounted for 291,460, or 70.7%, while the 13 regional museums drew just 120,504 (29.3%).
Of the foreign visitors to regional museums, 78.2% went to the National Gyeongju Museum (75,089) and the National Jeju Museum (19,172). The National Gwangju Museum drew 1,651, the National Daegu Museum 1,383 and the National Naju Museum 641, among others—each fewer than 2,000 visitors.
By contrast, the 13 regional museums drew a total of 5,934,162 visitors, both Korean and foreign, accounting for 53.0% of the 11,189,046 visitors to all 14 museums. Unlike overall visitor demand, Seoul’s dominance was pronounced in attracting foreign visitors.
The budget for regional museum operating programs fell 24.2%, from 75.782 billion won in 2021 to 57.447 billion won this year. Over the same period, the National Museum of Korea’s operating program budget rose 64.6%, from 51.296 billion won to 84.445 billion won.
However, this year’s budget for regional museum operations was up 16.8% from last year. The two programs differ in their detailed composition and scope, making it difficult to determine the level of support based on the total amounts alone.
In its work plan for this year, announced in February, the National Museum of Korea included efforts to build a distinctive brand for each affiliated museum and expand museum infrastructure. Specific projects listed included a multi-purpose cultural center at the Naju Museum, a digital culture center at the Cheongju Museum and a costume culture center at the Daegu Museum.
Rep. Kim stressed, “The global interest in Korean culture, heightened through K-culture, should not be limited to visits to the National Museum of Korea.”
He went on to propose supporting region-specific content development, links with tourism, multilingual services and overseas promotion, and said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) should draw up a comprehensive plan to foster regional museums.

[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter