MU:DS, the museum cultural merchandise brand, is linking up with the spirit of sport through the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The National Museum Foundation of Korea, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will run a MU:DS exhibition and a pop-up store under the theme "Wishes for Your Victory" at the Korea House in Nagoya, Japan, from the 18th through Oct. 3, during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The foundation and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee will unveil five limited-edition "MU:DS × Team Korea" items jointly developed for the Asian Games. They comprise four pin badges representing baseball, soccer, archery and canoeing, and one taegeuk keyring.
The pin badges reinterpret in modern form the scholars depicted in "Pyeongan Governor's Banquet," a painting held by the National Museum of Korea, wittily pairing them with Asian Games events. Each badge renders the character of one of the four sports in fine detail, expressing support for the passion and challenge of every athlete competing on the international stage.
The taegeuk keyring draws on the Deny Taegeukgi in the National Museum of Korea's collection, regarded as the oldest surviving Korean national flag in the country. It expresses the meaning of the taegeuk, a symbol of South Korea, in a refined design, embodying the collaboration's aim of introducing Korean history and culture together on the global stage.
The exhibition is notable for presenting MU:DS in a new format tailored to a sporting event. Rather than introducing cultural heritage by category, as in past showcases of celadon, white porcelain and mother-of-pearl lacquerware, it focuses on the wishes embedded in those works and extends that idea to the challenge and encouragement found in sport.
The five limited-edition items will be available at the National Museum of Korea's merchandise shop and the online museum shop from Sept. 10, and at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Korea House from Sept. 18.
The foundation and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee signed a memorandum of understanding on the 7th to spread K-culture at home and abroad by connecting resources in the arts and sports. The agreement is meaningful in that it links the roles of two institutions that promote South Korea to the world through culture and sport, the foundation said.
Under the agreement, the two organizations will pursue joint planning and development of products linking MU:DS and Team Korea, exhibitions and sales tied to international sporting events and Korea House, the development of convergence content combining culture and sport, and joint promotion and marketing. They also plan to continue working together at major international sporting events including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, expanding the synergy between sports diplomacy and cultural diplomacy.
"With this agreement as a starting point, we will widely share the value and stories of Korean cultural heritage on the new stage of international sporting events," said Jung Yong-seok, president of the National Museum Foundation of Korea.
