MU:DS First-Half Sales Hit 21.8 Billion Won as Museum Merch Demand Surges

MU:DS, the museum merchandise brand operated by the National Museum Foundation of Korea, recorded about 21.8 billion won in cumulative sales from January to June 2026. That first-half result was nearly 90% higher than the 11.48 billion won reported for the same period in 2025, and it marked the first time MU:DS passed the 20 billion won level in first-half sales.¹

For readers tracking the MU:DS Merch Boom, the key point is that the surge is not tied to one isolated item. The available figures show growth across museum-inspired products, character collaborations, pop culture-linked merchandise, and overseas promotion, with foreign purchases also rising.¹

MU:DS First-Half Sales: What Changed in 2026

The central number is straightforward: about 21.8 billion won in sales in the first six months of 2026. Compared with the previous first-half figure of 11.48 billion won, the increase was about 90%.¹ For shoppers, collectors, and culture-sector observers, that means MU:DS has moved from a niche museum-shop label into a merchandise brand with measurable mass appeal.

The strongest product signal in the sales report is the Pensive Bodhisattva miniature. Around 12,000 units were sold in 2026, bringing cumulative sales to about 60,000 units.¹ This matters because the item is based on a museum collection object rather than a typical entertainment character or fashion logo. Its performance shows how cultural heritage imagery can work as everyday merchandise when the design is accessible.

The 2026 BTS X MU:DS Collaboration Merch. also contributed to the broader sales story. The collaboration was made with HYBE to mark BTS’s fifth full-length album, ARIRANG, and used motifs from the National Treasure Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok, held by the Gyeongju National Museum. The five-item lineup included a shoulder bag, card holder, hair clip, hairpin, and layered skirt, with sales starting on March 20, 2026, at the National Museum of Korea shop, a BTS offline pop-up, and Weverse.² The MU:DS sales report said BTS collaboration products generated 43 million won in sales over two days.¹

Where the Growth Is Coming From

MU:DS growth in 2026 should be read alongside a wider expansion in Korean traditional culture merchandise. K-Heritage, the cultural product brand of the Korea Heritage Service-related foundation named in the source material as the Korea Heritage Agency, reported about 9.09 billion won in online and offline sales in the first half of 2026. That was up 49.7% from about 6.07 billion won in the first half of 2025, with online mall sales and the Incheon International Airport shop standing out.³

The MU:DS and K-Heritage connection became more concrete on June 25, 2026, when the National Museum Foundation of Korea and the Korea Heritage Agency signed a business agreement at Korea House. The agreement covers mutual sales of representative products, distribution support for strong products, and joint promotional activity.⁴ This is important for shoppers because it points to a broader retail network rather than separate, isolated museum-shop channels.

The two brands were already coming off record years. In 2025, MU:DS annual sales were about 41.3 billion won, while K-Heritage sales exceeded 16.1 billion won, with both reaching all-time highs.⁴ The 2026 first-half MU:DS figure therefore builds on an already strong base rather than rebounding from a weak year.

Product direction also helps explain why these brands are gaining attention. K-Heritage said fans and handkerchiefs using the Irworobongdo image, wine stoppers inspired by Joseon royal patterns, and “palace perfume” drew attention, while MU:DS has used objects such as the Pensive Bodhisattva, moon jar, Irworobongdo, and Silla gold crown in its product presentations.³⁵

What to Watch Next

The next useful thing to watch is distribution. MU:DS has already been shown outside Korea through a special exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles, held in the first-floor exhibition room through July 7, 2026. The exhibition introduced products based on representative museum objects including the Pensive Bodhisattva, moon jar, Irworobongdo, and Silla gold crown.⁵

The National Museum Foundation of Korea also outlined overseas plans connected to the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris, product presentation linked to the British Museum, and a showroom at the Korean Cultural Center in Sweden.⁵ Those plans suggest that MU:DS is being positioned not only as a domestic museum-shop success but also as a cultural export brand.

Collaboration is another area to follow. In May 2026, the National Museum of Korea and Kakao planned a month-long event combining museum collection objects with Kakao Friends characters. The program included a “Bangara Chunsang” installation modeled after the Pensive Bodhisattva and 17 MU:DS x Kakao Friends collaboration products. KakaoMap was also set to update the museum’s indoor map with major artifact locations and routes for visitors with reduced mobility.⁶

National Museum Foundation of Korea president Jung Yong-seok said the foundation would improve brand competitiveness and product quality so people around the world could experience the value of Korean cultural heritage in everyday life.¹ That quote neatly explains the operating logic behind the sales numbers: MU:DS is not only selling souvenirs, but also turning museum objects into daily-use goods.

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Patrick Choi

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