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The National Museum of Korea’s signature event, a festival in which participants dress up as artifacts from the museum’s collection, looks set to expand beyond South Korea. Museum Director Yoo Hong-june has pledged to stage a larger event next year, and the festival has drawn repeated assessments that it can compete globally.
The 2026 National Museum Costume Festival was held on the 19th at the museum’s open-air plaza in Yongsan District, Seoul. Twenty-five teams selected through regional preliminaries appeared in cosplay as items from the museum’s collection and gave free rein to their talents, drawing cheers from about 5,000 people who filled the plaza.
The artifact cosplay festival is regarded as the first of its kind in the world. It was created on the premise that experiencing the appearance of an artifact, rather than simply viewing it, can spark interest in history and cultural heritage while turning it into play. It would be difficult for other countries to attempt such an event without a museum that serves as a stage for young people the way Korean museums do.
The grand prize at the 2026 festival, awarded for stage presence and creativity, went to Jeon Eun-seul, who portrayed a white porcelain water dropper in the shape of a carp. Jeon lay on the ground to convey the fish’s flopping motion, drawing praise from judges. Nine other teams also received awards.
A total of 275 teams, or 643 people, took part in this year’s regional preliminaries. With 25 teams advancing to the finals at the National Museum of Korea on the 19th, the competition ratio was about 11 to 1.
In a congratulatory address, Yoo said the festival is “the result of the museum going beyond displaying old artifacts to create an occasion the public can enjoy together.” He added, “The festival has already become one that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and we will prepare an even grander event next year.”
The festival began in 2024 under the name “The National Museum Is Alive,” a reference to portraying the museum’s artifacts as living figures. At the time it was conceived as an event marking the start of a regular gathering at the museum. Of 36 teams that expressed interest, 20 appeared in the finals.
The competition took full shape with the 2025 edition, which ran various events over three days, with the costume contest as the main attraction. Applications came from 86 teams, more than double the previous year, and 10 selected teams competed at the museum’s open-air plaza. The event’s success led to an expanded nationwide format this year.
This year the program was held as a single event under the 2026 name. The costume competition was expanded across the country, with separate preliminaries at four national museums in Chuncheon, Gongju, Daegu and Jeonju, followed by the finals in Seoul on the 19th. Artifacts from across the country competed in a single contest.
Living up to the festival’s playful billing, the day also featured a mask dance troupe from Andong and a performance by singer Ahn Ye-eun, along with a runway appearance by Ottogi’s mascot Ttugi and EBS character Pengsoo. The Korea Tourism Organization, Ottogi, Cheong Kwan Jang, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, the Amorepacific Foundation, Kakao, Orion and the Korea Green Foundation operated interactive booths.
Many entries depicted broadly similar artifacts with an eye to popular appeal, but the grand prize, which emphasizes creativity, has tended to go to rarer works. The 2024 grand prize went to Lee Eun-mi for a costume modeled on the National Treasure ten-story stone pagoda from the Gyeongcheonsa temple site in Kaesong, and the 2025 prize went to a team that dressed as the gold earrings excavated in Hwango-dong, Gyeongju. This year’s winner portrayed the carp-shaped porcelain water dropper, an item unfamiliar to most people.
Next year’s event could include Korean artifacts still scattered overseas. Given how many Korean relics have been lost abroad, the festival could also serve as an occasion to keep them in public memory. Artifacts from other countries could become subjects of the festival as well. Julian Quintart, a Belgian television personality who served as a judge, said he expects the costume festival that started in Korea to grow into a worldwide celebration.
#NationalMuseumOfKorea#ArtifactCosplay#KoreanHeritage#MuseumFestival#Seoul#KCulture
Original reporting by Choi Soo-moon for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreignxact original wording
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