The National Museum of Korea (NMK), led by Director Yu Hong-jun, said Thursday that it ranked third in the world in The Art Newspaper's recently published 2025 global museum attendance survey.
The NMK recorded 6,507,483 visitors in 2025, placing it behind only the Louvre Museum in France (9,046,000) and the Vatican Museums (6,933,822). The British Museum (6,440,120) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (5,984,091) followed.
According to the NMK, The Art Newspaper noted in its report that "the most spectacular increase was in South Korea." The publication analyzed that "the National Museum of Korea surged more than 70% from 3.8 million in 2024 to 6.5 million in 2025, one of the largest absolute increases we have observed." It added that "the national museum branches in Jinju, Gyeongju, Cheongju, Buyeo and Iksan also showed meaningful increases."
The report also highlighted that the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA Seoul) recorded 2.1 million visitors, a 28% increase. It assessed that "the global enthusiasm for Korean culture is translating into museum visits by both domestic and international visitors."
The survey showed that several other Korean national museums and art institutions also ranked within the world's top 100. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art placed 35th, the Gyeongju National Museum 39th, the Buyeo National Museum 78th and the Gongju National Museum 89th. With five Korean national cultural institutions now in the global top 100, the international presence of Korean museums and art institutions has grown markedly.
The NMK continued its strong upward trend in the first quarter of 2026. Visitor numbers reached 2,023,888, up approximately 44.8% from the same period a year earlier.
"The National Museum of Korea's rise to third place in the world is a meaningful result showing that amid the spread of K-culture, interest in its roots — Korean traditional culture and cultural heritage — is translating into museum visits," Director Yu said. "We will continue to provide broader opportunities for cultural engagement and fulfill our role and responsibility as the heart of Korea's culture."