Trendy Traditional Korean Culture Goods Roundup

'Hip Tradition' (Hip+Tradition)

It refers to the trend of enjoying traditional culture in a 'hip' way.

In the Korean TV show ‘Jinny’s Kitchen,’ which aired around February last year, the ‘miniature seated pensive Buddha statue’ became famous thanks to BTS. This ‘miniature seated pensive Buddha statue’ is also a merchandise sold at the National Museum of Korea’s museum shop.

I recently visited the National Museum of Korea. The museum shop had a wide variety of merchandise.
In addition to the miniature seated pensive Buddha statue, there were a lot of other merchandise. I’ve compiled a list of items that caught my eye at the time, as well as items I later looked up online after returning home.

Miniature Golden Censer

At the museum shop, all colors of the miniature Golden Censer were available except for gold. Of course, the gold one was sold out^^;; When I searched online, I found that the February 16th (Friday) shipment was completely sold out. They said that they will announce future restocks later.

This ‘miniature Golden Censer’ is made using a 3D printer. As the name suggests, it is a ‘censer,’ so it can be used as an incense holder, mosquito coil holder, candle holder, or to store small accessories or candies.
Personally, considering the price of 99,000 won (75 USD), I think it would be better to use it for storing small accessories rather than as a censer.

Najeon Business Card Holder (Blue Dragon of the Four Symbols)

It's a perfect item for the year of the Blue Dragon. It's a business card holder that salespersons(?) or office workers who use a lot of business cards would love. It's a handcrafted product made using the traditional Korean Najeonchilgi technique, where patterns are carved into mother-of-pearl and inlaid onto a wooden object before being finished with lacquer.

Price: 30,000 won
※ Note: The ‘golf ball marker’ next to the image is sold separately for 15,000 won.

Bell Wine Glass Set

It’s said that the glasses make a bell sound when you tilt them. It’s based on the bell-shaped glasses made during the Gaya and Baekje periods. To create a clear sound, a bell is attached to the bottom, using the principle of a bell to produce sound.
But, as you can see, the size is a bit large. It’s not your typical Soju glass size.
Price: 10,000 won ($7.5 USD) per glass, a set of 5 glasses is 45,000 won ($33.64 USD)

Gonryongpo Glass

It’s sold at the National Museum of Korea’s museum shop. I saw it in person, and it’s incredibly beautiful. It has the elegance of a Gonryongpo (King’s robe). It looks slightly larger than a Soju glass, but since it’s made of ceramic, I think it might hold the same amount as a Soju glass.

Oh! And since it has gold leaf, it cannot be used in a microwave or dishwasher.
Price: A set of 3 glasses – 35,000 won ($26.1 USD)
It’s not sold individually, but if you calculate it individually: 1 glass is 11,700 won ($8.7 USD)

Three Drunk Scholars Color-Changing Glass Set

The coveted item!!! A sold-out item that’s hard to find!!!

‘Pyongan Provincial Governor’s Banquet Scene by Kim Hong-do’ is used as the motif for these 3 types of color-changing Soju glasses. When cold alcohol (Soju) touches the glass, the face part turns red, which is a temperature-sensitive color change.Aren’t they so cute?!^^
Price: A set of 3 glasses – 26,000 won ($19.5 USD)
It’s not sold individually, but if you calculate it individually: 1 glass is 8,700 won ($6.5 USD)

Although currently sold out, pre-orders will be available through Naver Shopping starting April 1st (Mon), 2024 at 5 PM.

So, what should we do?

Let’s add it to our calendars.

• https://calendar.google.com/calendar⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We need to know where to buy it, right? Here’s the link to Naver Shopping.

• https://smartstore.naver.com/museumshop/products/10702043442

I hope those who are interested will be successful in purchasing!

Oh, and there was this item too.

A folk painting Magpie and Tigeris used as the motif for a music box. The music box spins while playing ‘Arirang’.
It’s not sold online and is only available at offline stores. It costs 59,000 won ($44.1 USD).
If you purchase over 50,000 won ($37.4 USD), you’ll also get 2 Blue Dragon envelopes.

It’s actually quite luxurious, unlike the photo I took.

You can refer to the map above for the location of the National Museum of Korea.