Sales of Muds (MU:DS), the National Museum's cultural merchandise brand, continued to climb this year, surpassing 20 billion won in the first half alone. Muds products made using cultural items from overseas museums are also drawing attention.
Cumulative sales of the cultural merchandise brand Muds, operated by the National Museum Foundation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, reached approximately 21.8 billion won through June this year, the foundation said Tuesday. That marks an increase of about 90% from roughly 11.4 billion won in the same period last year.
Muds is a line of cultural merchandise created using major collection items from the National Museum of Korea and affiliated regional national museums. The brand name combines "museum" and "goods."
It is the first time first-half sales have reached the 20-billion-won range. Muds, which was first developed as a brand in 2022, posted sales in the 10-billion-won range in its first year and recorded an all-time high of about 41.3 billion won last year.
Among the leading products, special items from the national museums are proving popular. Wine stoppers and keyboards featuring dancheong patterns, which the National Museum of Korea previously introduced in connection with the special exhibition "Our Yi Sun-sin" on the theme of Yi Sun-sin, sold well. The ongoing "Our Table" exhibition also introduced Muds products featuring genre paintings.
Meanwhile, as the exhibition "Amazing Thailand: Masterpieces of Thai Art" is currently under way, related Muds items have drawn attention. Some are imported from Thailand and sold locally, but major items are produced directly in Korea. Among the key items in this event, the "Walking Buddha" Muds is a representative example.
In addition, more Muds products are being sold at dedicated sales booths set up directly at major exhibitions held overseas. They can also be purchased from overseas through online channels.
Jung Yong-seok, president of the National Museum Foundation, said of Muds using overseas artifacts, "It can be called a new form of ODA (official development assistance) project." He added, "Our Muds will also play a role in cultural exchange with Thailand."
