President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung visited the National Museum of Korea on the 26th to view the special exhibition "Our Admiral Yi Sun-sin." At the museum, President Lee held up a Pensive Bodhisattva merchandise item (MMCA goods) featuring poses such as "thumbs up, cheek heart, and hand heart." He then mimicked the cheek heart pose of the Pensive Bodhisattva statue and engaged with citizens, including foreign tourists and children.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said in a written briefing that day, "When President Lee and the First Lady made a surprise visit to the National Museum of Korea, visitors and students waved and cheered to welcome them." According to spokesperson Kang, President Lee greeted children by asking "What grade are you in?" and "Where are you from?" while saying "Nice to meet you," patting their heads, shaking hands, and giving high-fives. When responding to children's selfie requests, he bent his knees to lower himself to their eye level. One young visitor who took a photo with the president said, "My friends will go crazy. They'll probably ask if it's AI," expressing delight.
After greeting visitors, President Lee and the First Lady toured "Our Admiral Yi Sun-sin" with explanations from the museum's curator. President Lee examined the exhibits closely, asking whether items were originals or replicas, how they were preserved, and who had worn the armor. He spent considerable time studying Admiral Yi Sun-sin's long sword, measuring 2 meters in length, and the inscription engraved on it. First Lady Kim showed particular interest in a handwritten Korean manuscript of Admiral Yi's biography, believed to have been written for women in the late Joseon period, asking "Is this in Korean?"
After completing their tour, the presidential couple responded to selfie requests from citizens waiting in line. When First Lady Kim readily agreed to photo requests from American tourists, they said "Thank you!" in Korean and exclaimed "You are so pretty." When a visitor told President Lee "You're handsome. I love you," First Lady Kim drew laughter by asking "Who said he's handsome?" The First Lady purchased an eyeglass pouch featuring traditional Korean folk paintings including tiger and magpie motifs.
The National Museum of Korea has established itself as a cultural space spanning generations through creative exhibitions including the "Room of Contemplation" and modern reinterpretations of cultural heritage through merchandise. Last year, the museum recorded 6.5 million annual visitors, coinciding with the global spread of K-content.
Meanwhile, according to the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from the 23rd to 25th among 1,002 adults aged 18 and over, 67% of respondents gave a positive assessment of President Lee's administration—up 4 percentage points from the previous survey two weeks ago. This marks the highest figure in the survey since President Lee took office. The NBS survey was conducted via telephone interviews using mobile virtual numbers (100%), with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The response rate was 14.9%. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Committee website.