National Folk Museum of Korea facts for kids
View of the National Folk Museum building.
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| Established | 1924 |
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| Location | Samcheongdong-gil 35, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea |
| Visitors | 1,813,626 (2017) Ranking 31st globally |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gungnip Minsok Bangmulgwan |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kungnip Minsok Pangmulgwan |
The National Folk Museum of Korea (국립민속박물관) is a special museum in Seoul, South Korea. It's found right inside the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds. This museum helps you discover what life was like for Korean people long ago. It shows how they lived, worked, and played, using amazing copies of old objects.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum has a long and interesting history. It first started in 1924, but it was called the Chōsen Folk Art Museum back then. It was founded by the Asakawa brothers and Yanagi Sōetsu.
After some time, a new museum with the same name opened on November 8, 1945. It welcomed visitors on April 25, 1946. Later, this museum joined with the National Museum of Korea. Its collection of over 4,500 items moved to a new location.
In 1975, the National Museum moved to the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds. The Folk Museum moved with it, into the Modern Art Museum Building. Finally, in 1993, the National Folk Museum opened in its current spot. This building used to be the National Museum of Korea. Its design looks like many different old buildings from all over South Korea.
What You Can See: The Collection
The National Folk Museum of Korea has a huge collection of over 98,000 items! These items help tell the story of Korean life. The museum has three main areas where you can explore:
History of Korean People
This section shows you what everyday life was like in Korea. You can see items from very old times, even before history was written down. It covers everything up to the end of the Joseon period in 1910.
Korean Way of Life
Here, you can learn about how Korean villagers lived in ancient times. It gives you a peek into their daily routines and traditions.
Life Cycle of the Koreans
This part of the museum explores how a special idea called Confucianism shaped Korean culture. You'll see how this way of thinking influenced many customs and traditions throughout people's lives.
Outdoor Exhibits
Outside the main building, the museum has cool open-air exhibits. You can see copies of spirit posts, which villagers used for prayers. There are also stone piles for worship, old grinding mills, and shelters for storing rice. You can even see pits where kimchi pots were kept!
20th Century Life
In March 2021, the museum opened a new exhibition. It shows items from the 20th century. This includes things from the late Joseon era and also modern items. You can find these items in Permanent Exhibition Hall 2, which was recently updated.
Gallery
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National Folk Museum of Korea
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Interior of a traditional Korean house, National Folk Museum
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National Folk Museum of Korea
See also
- History of Korea
- List of museums in Seoul
- List of museums in South Korea
