Bottom line: The National Museum of Korea gift shop sells MU:DS museum goods in three shops inside a free museum in Yongsan, the magpie tiger badge is US$15 on the museum’s English online store, and the museum opens 09:30 to 17:30 (to 21:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays), so exit Ichon Station at Exit 2, shop on the first floor and fall back to the online store if the badge is sold out.
Quick Korea Travel Guide
Getting in: File the free e-Arrival Card unless you hold a valid K-ETA, and check the K-ETA exemption dates.
Stay in touch: Get a Korea eSIM from Airalo for maps and the museum’s mobile guide.
Where to book: National Museum of Korea guided tour on GetYourGuide, Klook half-day museum tour and KKday museum and War Memorial history tour; more tickets on GetYourGuide Seoul.
Getting around: Ichon Station is on Line 4 and the Gyeongui-Jungang Line; read how to use the Seoul subway and T-money vs Climate Card.
Plan more: Yongsan luggage storage, KPop Demon Hunters Seoul locations and the Korea Travel Toolkit.
Disclosure: Some links above are affiliate links. If you book through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Most pages on the national museum of korea gift shop show a few photos and say go early. The useful facts are where the shops are, which one sells what, what the goods cost, and what happens when the famous badge sells out. This guide uses the museum’s own hours and rules, the National Museum Foundation’s shop list, the MU:DS online store prices from 19 October 2026, and Korean press on why the museum became a K-culture shopping stop.
Quick answer
- Admission (as of Oct 2026): free for the permanent exhibition halls and free special exhibitions; charged special exhibitions have their own ticket.
- Hours: 09:30 to 17:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday (last admission 17:00); 09:30 to 21:00 on Wednesday and Saturday (last admission 20:30).
- Closed: 1 January, Lunar New Year and Chuseok; the galleries also close on the first Monday of March, June, September and December.
- Where: 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu. Take Line 4 or the Gyeongui-Jungang Line to Ichon Station, Exit 2, and walk 150 m toward Yongsan Family Park.
- The shops: Museum Shop 1 (West Wing 1F beside the Great Hall), Museum Shop 2 (centre of the exhibition hall, 1F) and the MU:DS Brand Showroom (3F, closed 12:00 to 13:00), plus an online store.
- Prices (online, US$): Magpie Tiger Badge $15, Gat keyring $16, Gat brooch $18, Dancheong strap keyring $14, Gat cup $44, Gonryongpo beach towel $46.
- KPop Demon Hunters link: the badge is a folk-painting motif, not a film product; it sold out in 20 minutes on 11 July 2025 after fans spotted its likeness to Derpy and the three-eyed magpie.
- Rule for the national museum of korea gift shop: go on a Wednesday or Saturday evening, shop after the galleries, and use the online store for sold-out items.
Museum guided tour · Yongsan · via GetYourGuide
Seoul: National Museum of Korea Guided Tour
⭐ 5.0/5 from 30 GetYourGuide reviews · 2 hours · English-speaking guide · small group of up to 10 · from about US$41 · free cancellation 24 hours ahead (as of Oct 2026)
What this guide covers
What Is the National Museum of Korea Gift Shop and MU:DS?
MU:DS is the museum goods brand of the National Museum Foundation, a blend of “museum” and “goods”. The national museum of korea gift shop is the foundation’s flagship: there are three shops inside the building and an online store, and the products copy artworks in the collection, from celadon and white porcelain to the pensive bodhisattva and Joseon folk painting. The Korea Times reported in July 2025 that sales of museum merchandise at national museums grew from ₩3.76 billion in 2020 to ₩21.28 billion in 2024, and the Korea Herald put MU:DS sales for January to October 2025 at about ₩30.64 billion.
The museum itself is free, which is why the national museum of korea gift shop is such an easy add-on to a Seoul day: you can walk in, see the headline national treasures and leave with a ₩10,000 to ₩20,000 souvenir. The 7-day itinerary slots it in on a rainy day, and the national museum of korea gift shop is the best reason to add it.
1. National Museum of Korea Gift Shop Visit Basics: Free Entry, Hours and Closed Days
The museum’s English page lists the hours below and notes that admission closes 30 minutes before closing time and visitors are guided to exit 10 minutes before. The outdoor exhibition area is open from 07:00 to 22:00. Free coat storage is on the west side of the main gate, and lockers sit in front of the museum shop and the Children’s Museum.
The key rules at a glance
| Item | Official answer (as of Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Admission | Free: permanent exhibition halls, the Children’s Museum and free special exhibitions. Charged special exhibitions need a ticket |
| Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday | 09:30 to 17:30, last admission 17:00 |
| Wednesday and Saturday | 09:30 to 21:00, last admission 20:30 |
| Closed | 1 January, Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok; permanent and special galleries also close on the first Monday of March, June, September and December |
| Address and phone | 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul; +82-2-2077-9046 (Korean and English) |
| Not allowed | Food and drinks, pets (certified service dogs excepted), flash, tripods, selfie sticks and gimbals, commercial photography without written permission, bicycles, kickboards and skating |
| Gallery closures | Calligraphy and Painting and Sculpture and Crafts galleries are in temporary closure from 6 July 2026 to 28 January 2027; check the notices page before you plan a specific room |
Current and upcoming special exhibitions on the museum’s homepage include The Korean Table: Food, Nature, and Life (to 25 October 2026), Tour of National Treasures (to 29 November 2026), Breaking the Seal of a Thousand Years: Buddhist Manuscripts from Dunhuang (23 October 2026 to 24 January 2027) and Marie Antoinette Style (18 December 2026 to 31 March 2027). Check the ticket page before you go, because special exhibitions may charge.
2. Where the National Museum of Korea Gift Shop Branches Are and What They Sell
The National Museum Foundation lists three shops in the national museum of korea gift shop network. All share the museum’s closed days.
| Shop | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Museum Shop 1 | West Wing 1F, next to the Great Hall; +82-2-2077-9769 | 09:30 to 17:30 Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun; 09:30 to 21:00 Wed, Sat |
| Museum Shop 2 | Centre of the exhibition hall, 1F; +82-2-2077-9771 | 09:30 to 17:30 every day |
| MU:DS Brand Showroom | Centre of the permanent exhibition hall, 3F | 09:30 to 17:30 every day, closed 12:00 to 13:00 |
The online store of the national museum of korea gift shop at muds.kr has an English storefront with prices in US dollars. On 19 October 2026 it listed these prices; items marked sold out change often, and prices in won in the museum shops may differ.
| Item (MU:DS) | Price (US$, 19 Oct 2026) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Badge (Magpie Tiger) | $15.00 | In stock online; 33 x 28 x 1.5 mm, sold singly |
| Badge (Leopard Pattern) | $15.00 | Best seller |
| Keyring (Gat) | $16.00 | Based on the Joseon hat |
| Brooch (Gat) | $18.00 | Best seller |
| Keyring (Dancheong Strap, Lotus) | $14.00 | Best seller |
| Sticker Pack (Tiger) | $17.00 | |
| Mini Dish Blue and White Porcelain | $18.00 | |
| Changing Glass (Tipsy Scholar Color) | $19.00 | |
| Gat Cup | $44.00 | |
| Gonryongpo Beach Towel | $46.00 | |
| Apron (Ilwolobongdo) | $33.00 | |
| Light (Seokguram) | From $47.00 | |
| Celadon Cup Set (2 pcs); Ballpoint Pen (Black Gat String); Keychain (Moon Jar Charm); Keyring (Norigae) | $41; $16; $16; $26 | Sold out online at the time of checking |
The museum also sells pensive bodhisattva items in the shop and online, according to its own gallery guide. For souvenirs in the same price band, Daiso Korea must-buys and Korea duty free are the usual comparisons.
3. The Magpie Tiger Badge and the KPop Demon Hunters Link
The museum describes the Magpie Tiger as a playful white tiger with a silver magpie, drawn from the tiger-and-magpie folk paintings (hojakdo) that were believed to ward off bad energy. It is a MU:DS design, not an official film product. After the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters took off in mid-2025, fans noted a likeness to Derpy the tiger and the three-eyed magpie, and the Korea Times reported that the shop sold out of the pin within 20 minutes of opening on 11 July 2025, with all 17,900 online pre-order pins gone. The Korea Herald added that one month of badge sales reached ₩558.8 million in July 2025, and it describes the badge as one that “happens to resemble” Derpy.
The national museum of korea gift shop has the badge back on sale: the English online store shows it in stock at US$15.00 on 19 October 2026, while shop stock in Yongsan varies by day. The Saja Boys-style gat (hat) goods also sell here. For the film’s locations around the city, see KPop Demon Hunters Seoul locations, and for K-pop day plans see the K-pop Seoul guide.
4. How to Get to the National Museum of Korea From Seoul Station and Yongsan
The directions page for the museum and the national museum of korea gift shop says to take Line 4 or the Gyeongui-Jungang Line to Ichon Station, go out of Exit 2 and walk 150 m toward Yongsan Family Park; elevators stand at Exits 1 and 2. The underground Museum Nadeulgil path links Ichon Station to the museum and is open 07:00 to 23:00. From Seoul Station take Line 4 toward Oido or Sadang; Ichon is four stops away, with Sookmyung Women’s University, Samgakji and Sinyongsan in between. From Yongsan Station the Gyeongui-Jungang Line reaches Ichon on the next stop. Check the T-money rules in T-money vs Climate Card before you ride.
Arriving from the airport? Incheon Airport to Yongsan covers the AREX and bus options, and Yongsan luggage storage lists lockers if you reach the museum before check-in. A Wednesday or Saturday evening gives you the longest opening hours.
5. What to See in the Permanent Exhibition Before You Shop
The permanent exhibition shows more than 12,000 pieces in six sections. Official highlights are the Pensive Bodhisattva statues (National Treasures 78 and 83) in the Room of Quiet Contemplation, the Goryeo Celadon Openwork Burner, the Gold Crown from Silla and the Ten-story Stone Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple Site, a 13.5 m National Treasure on the Path to History. The pagoda is lit by a free media-facade show titled Lighting the Sky Pagoda on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 20:00 for 12 minutes, and an AR guide runs daily. The museum’s online exhibit Tigers in Korean Art is a free preview of the tiger theme.
Silence is requested in the Room of Quiet Contemplation, even for guided tours. Plan 2 to 4 hours for the galleries, then visit the national museum of korea gift shop on the way out. Wednesday and Saturday evenings give you until 21:00, and the lockers in front of the shop keep bags out of the galleries.
6. Tours and Tickets Near Yongsan
The museum and the national museum of korea gift shop are free to enter, but a guide adds the story behind the objects. GetYourGuide lists a 2-hour English museum tour for up to 10 people, Klook runs a 2-hour half-day tour that meets in the Great Hall at 13:00, and KKday sells a 6-hour museum and War Memorial history tour for the two neighbouring landmarks in Yongsan.
Museum half-day tour · Yongsan · via Klook
Seoul National Museum of Korea Half-Day Guided Tour
2 hours, 13:00 to 15:00 · English-speaking guide · small group of 4 to 20 · meets in the Great Hall · free cancellation 48 hours ahead (as of Oct 2026)
History tour · Yongsan · via KKday
Seoul History Tour: Stories of National Museum and War Memorial
⭐ 5.0/5 from 4 KKday reviews · 6 hours · English, Korean and Mandarin guide · free cancellation 3 days ahead (as of Oct 2026)
Mistakes to Avoid at the National Museum of Korea Gift Shop
- Expecting the national museum of korea gift shop to have the badge in stock every day; use the English online store for it.
- Arriving at 17:15 on a short day; admission closes 30 minutes before the museum and the showroom pauses 12:00 to 13:00.
- Planning a visit on the first Monday of March, June, September or December, when the galleries are closed.
- Carrying a tripod, selfie stick or gimbal into the galleries; they are not allowed.
- Bringing food or drinks into the exhibition halls.
- Assuming every special exhibition is free; check the ticket page.
- Buying fake badges from resellers when the official online store lists the item.
- Leaving shopping to the last minute on a Wednesday or Saturday evening when closing is 21:00.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the National Museum of Korea gift shop?
There are three shops inside the museum in Yongsan: Museum Shop 1 in the West Wing on the first floor beside the Great Hall, Museum Shop 2 in the centre of the first-floor exhibition hall, and the MU:DS Brand Showroom on the third floor.
Is the National Museum of Korea free?
Yes. The permanent exhibition halls, the Children’s Museum and free special exhibitions are free. Charged special exhibitions need a ticket.
What time does the National Museum of Korea open and close?
It opens at 09:30 and closes at 17:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and at 21:00 on Wednesday and Saturday. Admission closes 30 minutes earlier.
How much is the magpie tiger badge?
The museum’s English online store listed the Badge (Magpie Tiger) at US$15.00 on 19 October 2026. In-store prices are in won and stock varies by day.
Is the magpie tiger badge from KPop Demon Hunters?
No, it is a museum design based on tiger and magpie folk paintings. Fans noted a likeness to Derpy and the three-eyed magpie, and the badge sold out within 20 minutes on 11 July 2025.
How do I get to the National Museum of Korea from Seoul Station?
Take Line 4 toward Oido or Sadang to Ichon Station, four stops away, leave through Exit 2 and walk 150 m toward Yongsan Family Park.
When is the National Museum of Korea closed?
On 1 January, Lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok, and the galleries close on the first Monday of March, June, September and December.
Can I buy MU:DS goods online?
Yes. The MU:DS online store at muds.kr has an English storefront with prices in US dollars, and a Korean online shop is run by the National Museum Foundation.
Where Should You Stay Near the National Museum of Korea?
A hotel in Yongsan or at Seoul Station keeps the national museum of korea gift shop within a few stops: Yongsan Station is one stop from Ichon on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line, and Seoul Station is four stops on Line 4. Where to stay in Seoul compares areas; our hotel pages for Four Points by Sheraton Josun Seoul Station and Hamilton Hotel Itaewon have full reviews.
Hotel pick · Yongsan · via Agoda
Grand Mercure Ambassador Hotel and Residences Seoul Yongsan
⭐ 8.9/10 from 1,376 Agoda reviews · located in Yongsan (as of Oct 2026)
Hotel pick · Seoul Station · via Agoda
Four Points by Sheraton Josun Seoul Station
⭐ 8.6/10 from 8,215 Agoda reviews · 308 m from Seoul Station, four stops from Ichon on Line 4 (as of Oct 2026)
Sources (official pages checked)
- National Museum of Korea, Visit: viewing hours, closed days, admission and visitor tips
- National Museum of Korea, directions by subway
- National Museum of Korea, permanent exhibitions
- National Museum of Korea, Ten-story Stone Pagoda immersive programme
- National Museum of Korea, English homepage: hours, special exhibitions and notices (checked 19 October 2026)
- National Museum Foundation of Korea, museum shops: locations and hours
- MU:DS, Badge (Magpie Tiger), US$15.00 (checked 19 October 2026)
- MU:DS, best sellers and prices (checked 19 October 2026)
- The Korea Times, MU:DS goods become cultural collectibles (July 2025)
- The Korea Herald, record museum merch sales (1 September 2025)
- The Korea Herald, National Museum of Korea on track to surpass 6 million visitors (4 December 2025)
- GetYourGuide, National Museum of Korea guided tour (checked 19 October 2026)
- Klook, Seoul National Museum of Korea half-day guided tour (checked 19 October 2026)
- KKday, Seoul history tour: National Museum and War Memorial (checked 19 October 2026)
Book the basics for your Korea trip
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Related Guides
- Korea Travel Toolkit: what to book before you fly
- KPop Demon Hunters Seoul Locations
- K-pop Seoul Guide
- Yongsan Luggage Storage – lockers near the station
- Incheon Airport to Yongsan
- Itaewon Luggage Storage
- Incheon Airport to Itaewon
- Where to Stay in Seoul
- Four Points Josun Seoul Station – hotel page
- Hamilton Hotel Itaewon – hotel page
- Korea 7-Day Itinerary
- Seoul Subway Guide
- T-money vs Climate Card
- Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Rules – another free palace day
- Daiso Korea Must-Buys
- Korea Duty Free
- Apple Pay Korea – paying in the shop
National Museum of Korea gift shop facts last checked 19 October 2026 against the museum, the National Museum Foundation and the MU:DS store. Prices, stock and gallery closures change; confirm hours and closures on the museum’s notices page before you go.
