On a crisp morning in Seoul’s Yongsan district, visitors wait in line outside the National Museum of Korea, a cultural institution that has recently changed from a traditional repository of ancient relics into a lively space for daily activities.
Attracting a record 6.5 million visitors last year – more than a fourfold increase from 2005, the year it relocated to its current site – the museum ranks among the world’s most-visited art and history institutions, alongside the Louvre, the Vatican Museums and the British Museum.
Unlike European museums that rely heavily on international tourists, the museum has a strong domestic fanbase reflected in its visitor demographics. About 97 per cent of visitors are South Korean citizens, who have embraced it as part of their daily routines, according to the museum.
