A Day at the National Museum of Korea: Souvenirs for Friends, Stories for Me

 Hi, Friends! 👋

 I’ve got a friend visiting from abroad, so I was looking for a welcome gift—and the National Museum of Korea’s products are honestly so good. So I’ll share a quick intro to the museum and what I’m planning to gift my friend. 💕

At first, how can we get there? 

• Subway (most convenient): Line 4 → Ichon Station. Use Exit 2 and follow signs to the museum. It’s directly connected via an underground passage, so you can walk indoors almost the whole way. Line G (Gyeongui–Jungang Line) → Ichon Station. Same Exit 2 connection works.

• Taxi: Tell the driver “National Museum of Korea, Yongsan.” Drop-off is at the main entrance plaza. Weekend traffic around Yongsan can be slow—plan a little extra time.

• Bus: Search “National Museum of Korea” in your map app for the nearest stops. Several local buses run along Seobinggo-ro and the Yongsan area with short walks to the museum.

If you use the subway, you can find an entrance as below. 

                

It is a main entrance. If you follow the entrance and head up the stairs, you’ll find the special exhibition hall and the permanent galleries at the top. On the way up, there’s a pond, a quiet pavilion, and a restaurant with a nice view—would be a great spot to grab a meal, too. 🍴🍴🍵

The special exhibition hall has different ticket prices depending on the show, but the permanent galleries are free. Plus, the quality of the artifacts is so good that even just the permanent collection gives you plenty to see.

Left: special exhibition and Right: permanent galleries. 

Since I needed to pick up a gift for my friend, I stopped by the souvenir shop on the first floor first. It’s pretty big, and they’ve got lots of fun items that blend Korean tradition and modern culture. I’ll show you a few photos.

They had eco-bags featuring Korea’s traditional saekdong stripes, the Irwolobongdo (Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks) motif, and tiger designs. 🐯

I was torn between the magpie–tiger badge—the one that inspired K-pop Demon Hunters’ Duffy—and the mother-of-pearl key ring. The magpie–tiger badge has a purchase limit of two per person, by the way. 

 

They also had fun souvenirs like a stove-shaped incense holder that smells like cooked rice and color-changing shot glasses that shift when you pour in a drink. Sadly, the shot glass set was sold out.

I made a Duffy character welcome card for my friend and picked up a magpie–tiger badge, a notebook, a magnet, and some chocolate cookies. I didn’t want it to feel too heavy, so I kept everything reasonably priced. The chocolate cookies are a limited collab with the museum. 🍪🍪

Since I was so caught up picking gifts, I figured I wouldn’t get to see the museum properly—so I put my stuff in a locker and headed up to the second floor. The lockers are on the left as you enter, and they’re free to use. Just a heads-up: there’s a quick bag check at the entrance for safety.

 There’s a lot to see across different eras, so it can take quite a while to get through. If you’re short on time, I suggest starting with “The Room of Contemplation” on the second floor—it’s a dedicated space for the two National Treasure statues of the Maitreya in meditation. That’s the only place I visited that day, too.

Photos don’t really capture the mood here. When you see the gentle smiles on the two Buddha statues, you can actually feel your mind relax. The high ceiling, the dim space, and the music create a calm atmosphere, too. If you come to the museum, I really recommend seeing the statues in person.

I picked out a fun gift for my friend and took a quiet moment with the Maitreya statues—it was such a good day. If I want to dive into the details of the collections, I’ll come back again next time. On cold or hot days, how about spending a solid, meaningful few hours indoors at the National Museum? 😘