On March 31, The Art Newspaper, an international art journal, released its report, “The World’s 100 Most Visited Art Museums in 2025,” in which several major national museums and art institutions in Korea were included.
 
Among them, the National Museum of Korea ranked third in the world in terms of annual visitors, underscoring its strong presence among leading museums globally. Other major Korean institutions that made it into the global top 100 include the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (35th), Gyeongju National Museum (39th), Buyeo National Museum (78th), and Gongju National Museum (89th).

The National Museum of Korea recorded 6,507,483 visitors in 2025, making it the third most visited museum in the world, following the Louvre Museum (9,046,000) and the Vatican Museums (6,933,822). Notably, it surpassed leading global institutions such as the British Museum (6,440,120) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (5,984,091), highlighting the growing international and domestic interest in Korea’s cultural heritage and its elevated global standing.
 
This upward trajectory is seen not as a temporary surge in popularity, but as the result of a combination of factors, including strong curatorial planning across both permanent and special exhibitions, the expansion of visitor experience through exhibition innovation, and the activation of cultural programs and merchandise.

According to The Art Newspaper, “the most striking growth was seen in South Korea.” It noted that “the National Museum of Korea saw its visitor numbers surge by more than 70%, rising from 3.8 million in 2024 to 6.5 million in 2025—one of the largest absolute increases observed.” It further added that “branch museums in Jinju, Gyeongju, Cheongju, Buyeo, and Iksan also recorded meaningful growth.”
 
The report also highlighted that MMCA Seoul saw a 28% increase, reaching 2.1 million visitors, and assessed that “the global enthusiasm for Korean culture is translating into museum visits both domestically and internationally.”
 
As a result, five of Korea’s national cultural institutions have entered the global top 100, further solidifying the international presence of Korean museums and art institutions. This underscores the expanding interest in Korea’s art and cultural heritage, not only domestically but also worldwide.

In particular, the overseas touring exhibition of works donated by the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee exemplifies this trend. The inaugural presentation, 《Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared》, held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., concluded successfully on February 1, attracting 80,000 visitors.
 
This figure marks the highest attendance for a special exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in the past decade. According to visitor satisfaction surveys in the United States, it was also rated the “highest-rated exhibition” of the past 15 years.
 
Building on these achievements, the National Museum of Korea stated that it plans to further solidify its status as a leading hub of Korean culture and a globally recognized multidisciplinary cultural institution.
 
Yoo Hong-jun, Director of the National Museum of Korea, commented, “The museum’s ranking as third in the world is a meaningful outcome of the growing global interest in K-culture, where attention to its roots—Korean traditional culture and cultural heritage—has translated into museum visits. It also reflects the high level of cultural awareness among the Korean public. Moving forward, we will continue to expand opportunities for cultural engagement and fulfill our role and responsibility as the cultural heart of Korea.”

References

• The Art Newspaper, Exclusive | The world's 100 most visited art museums in 2025: new venues a big hit with visitors
• 국립중앙박물관 보도자료 (National Museum of Korea Press Release)