Seoul: Souvenir sales have surpassed 30 billion won (US$2.09 million) for the first 10 months of the year, driven by a record number of visitors, the National Museum of Korea said Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, sales of museum merchandise from January to October reached a record 30.6 billion won, achieving the milestone two months earlier than anticipated. The news came after the museum reported earlier this month that its annual attendance had surpassed 5 million people for the first time in its 80-year history.
The sales figures experienced a notable increase in the second half of the year. After averaging around 2 billion won per month from April to June, sales more than doubled to 4.95 billion won in July and reached 5.27 billion won in August. Among the most popular souvenirs are a miniature of the Pensive Bodhisattva, reportedly owned by BTS leader RM, and a magpie-and-tiger badge that resembles a character from Netflix's hit, "KPop Demon Hunters."
The museum attributed the recent surge in sales partly to the popularity of the animated film.