MU:DS exports — RM Special Exhibition Hits Record $110K

The power of BTS leader RM has combined with the National Museum of Korea brand to drive record-breaking merchandise export success. MU:DS exports reached a historic high following a collaborative special exhibition in the United States.

RM x SFMOMA Exhibition Drives Record Export Sales

The National Museum of Cultural Heritage announced on October 1 that it exported approximately $110,000 (approx. 150 million KRW) worth of ‘MU:DS’ products in connection with the special exhibition ‘RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me,’ co-organized by RM and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). MU:DS are brand products inspired by museum artifacts.

Running from October 3 (local time) to February 7 of next year, the special exhibition features about 180 items, including personal collection pieces from National Museum of Korea Global Ambassador RM and SFMOMA collections. The foundation is showcasing a total of 39 types of MU:DS at the SFMOMA Museum Shop, including the ‘Pensive Bodhisattva Miniature (Heart Series).’ These products transform the Pensive Bodhisattva miniature—part of RM’s personal collection—into playful hand gestures like finger hearts, double-hand hearts, and thumbs-up. Additionally, items inspired by Korean cultural heritage and artwork such as moon jars, celadon, mother-of-pearl, and bojagi are expected to captivate American visitors.

The initial order of $110,000 is a 71% increase from the $64,000 combined total of two export rounds for last year’s Smithsonian Kun-Hee Lee collection special exhibition, marking the foundation’s largest-ever single export performance targeting overseas museums.

Expanding Global Reach to the British Museum

During the same period, MU:DS are also being showcased at the British Museum, linked with the special exhibition ‘Korea: 2000 years of creativity,’ which runs from October 1 to January 31 next year. This marks the third and final exhibition of the overseas touring exhibition of donated works by the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, jointly promoted by the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, featuring a total of 100 works including 10 National Treasures and 13 Treasures.

The foundation is supplying 18 types of exhibition-linked MU:DS to the British Museum Museum shop. Representative items include Jeong Seon’s ‘Inwangjesekdo,’ as well as ‘Ilworobongdo’ and ‘Magpies and Tigers,’ which gained attention through the Netflix animated film ‘K-Pop: Demon Hunters.’

Jung Yong-sook, President of the National Museum of Cultural Heritage, stated, ‘Korean museum merchandise’s overseas stage is expanding into North America and Europe,’ adding, ‘We are currently contributing to promoting the charm of Korean cultural heritage to athletes and visitors from various Asian countries at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Korea House.’