Guests crowd the principle corridor of the Nationwide Museum of Korea in central Seoul, Dec. 14, 2025. Newsis
Because the Nationwide Museum of Korea (NMK) reached a brand new milestone in 2025, welcoming greater than 6.5 million guests in a single yr, a long-simmering query resurfaced: ought to the nation’s flagship museum start charging admission once more?
Presently, the museum’s everlasting galleries are open freed from cost. Till 2008, guests paid a 2,000 received admission charge, however below the Lee Myung-bak administration, charges on the NMK and all different state-run museums nationwide had been abolished as a part of a broader push to broaden the general public’s entry to tradition.
Practically twenty years on, that coverage is as soon as once more below assessment. In response to the Ministry of Tradition, Sports activities and Tourism, the federal government is contemplating reintroducing admission charges beginning with the NMK as early as 2027. Below the proposal, grownup tickets would probably value round 5,000 received, with reductions provided to college students and low-income teams.
Opinion stays divided. At a ministry briefing final month, President Lee Jae Myung weighed in on the difficulty, stating that “when one thing is free, it could possibly really feel much less treasured, virtually cheapened.”
An analogous view was voiced at a latest seminar hosted by the Korean Museum Affiliation. Kim Younger-ho, honorary president of the Korean Society of Museum Research, argued that paying even a modest entry charge can form how residents understand their cultural establishments.
“When folks pay to enter, they start to assign worth to their very own tradition. The income generated can then be reinvested in exhibition high quality and the customer expertise.”
Others level to worsening congestion contained in the galleries, suggesting that paid admission may perform as a type of crowd management as customer numbers proceed to rise.
A customer browses the Nationwide Museum of Korea’s present store, Dec. 30, 2025. Yonhap
But requires warning are simply as sturdy.
“The NMK’s assortment consists of cultural heritage owned and managed by the state and it carries the character of a shared public good that each one residents have the fitting to take pleasure in,” Yang Ji-yeon, a professor of curatorial research and artwork administration at Dongduk Girls’s College, advised The Korea Occasions.
There are additionally structural constraints that additional complicate the controversy. Below the Nationwide Finance Act, the museum is funded fully by the central authorities and any income it generates is returned to the nationwide treasury. Which means even when admission charges had been reinstated, the museum wouldn’t have the ability to use the proceeds instantly.
“If entry charges are launched, how that income is finally used turns into a vital difficulty,” stated Choi Seon-ju, professor of museology at Chung-Ang College and former director of the Gyeongju Nationwide Museum. He added that authorized grounds would first have to be established — or at the least reviewed — to find out whether or not museums can reinvest earnings into their very own operations.
One other concern is the ripple impact. If the NMK strikes to paid admission, different state-run museums will probably need to comply with, elevating fears concerning the affect on regional establishments.
“Native museums already wrestle with decrease customer numbers in comparison with these in Seoul,” Choi stated. “If they begin charging admission, attendance may drop even additional.”
Some consultants argue that various funding fashions ought to be explored earlier than turning to ticketing. Yang, for example, pointed to the necessity for extra strong sponsorship methods. “Constructing a versatile framework that permits museums to extra actively and sustainably safe company sponsorships or non-public donations might be a significant step.”
Others emphasize what could also be misplaced if museums transfer away from free entry.
“By maintaining museums free, we reinforce their public nature,” stated Kim Soo-jin, an artwork historian and analysis professor at Sungkyunkwan College. “It sends a transparent message to college students and worldwide guests alike that Korea is a nation that treats its historical past and tradition as one thing the state actively helps.”
As a result of the museum is funded fully by public cash, Kim added, its monetary base is comparatively steady. This units it other than many establishments abroad, the place mounting a blockbuster exhibition usually requires securing funding upfront, thus inserting monetary concerns on the heart of curatorial decision-making.
“If we transfer towards a system the place income from admission charges begins to have an effect on exhibition high quality, curatorial path or staffing, that’s not a future I might welcome,” she stated.
