The National Museum of Korea, which popularized the term "yumulmeong" (a Korean expression meaning to gaze blankly at artifacts), has released the second book in its planned publication series.
The National Museum of Korea (Director Yu Hong-june) announced on the 22nd that it has published the planned book "Yumulmeong: Things That Grow More Lovable the Longer You Look."
The new book "Yumulmeong: Things That Grow More Lovable the Longer You Look" compiles the winning entries from last year's "My Favorite Artifact" contest hosted by the National Museum of Korea, along with stories from curators, donors, and donors' families about donated artifacts. By bringing together old objects that were once cherished by someone, the book offers diverse perspectives on the act of loving, collecting, and sharing.
The book features 100 items, including photographs of artifacts donated to the National Museum of Korea. It includes stationery items that adorned the studies of Confucian scholars — such as a three-tier four-sided shelf, a writing desk, a house-shaped white porcelain water dropper, and a white porcelain brush holder with openwork grape and squirrel patterns — as well as donations of deep historical significance, including a bronze helmet, the Deny Taegeukgi (Korean national flag), and calligraphy by independence activist Ahn Jung-geun.
The book is the National Museum of Korea's second planned publication, following 2024's "Yumulmeong: Things That Grow More Beautiful the Longer You Gaze."
It is currently available for purchase on the National Museum Foundation of Korea website, Kyobo Book Centre, Youngpoong Bookstore, Aladin, and Yes24.
