Seoul: The National Museum of Korea announced that its annual attendance has surpassed 5 million for the first time in its 80-year history. This milestone marks a significant increase in visitors, underscoring the growing global interest in Korean culture.

According to Philippines News Agency, the museum recorded 5,016,382 visitors from January 1 through Wednesday, reflecting a 69.7 percent increase from approximately 2.96 million during the same period last year. Of the total visitors, 4.83 million were South Koreans, while 185,705 were foreign nationals. This is the first time since the museum's founding in 1945 that its annual attendance has exceeded 5 million.

The surge in attendance is partly attributed to the rising global interest in Korean culture, boosted by the success of the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters." Last year, only four museums worldwide attracted more than 5 million visitors. According to The Art Newspaper, a British art publication, the Louvre in Paris led with 8.74 million visitors, followed by the Vatican Museums with 6.83 million, the British Museum with 6.48 million, and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art with 5.73 million. London's Tate Modern ranked fifth with 4.6 million visitors.