As the National Museum of Korea (NMK) reached a new milestone in 2025, welcoming more than 6.5 million visitors in a single year, a long-simmering question resurfaced: should the country’s flagship museum begin charging admission again? Currently, the museum’s permanent galleries are open free of charge. Until 2008, visitors paid a 2,000 won admission fee, but under the Lee Myung-bak administration, fees at the NMK and all other state-run museums nationwide were abolished as part of a broader push to expand the public’s access to culture. Nearly two decades on, that policy is once again under review. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the government is considering reintroducing admission fees starting with the NMK as early as 2027. Under the proposal, adult tickets would likely cost around 5,000 won, with discounts offered to students and low-income groups. Opinion remains divided. At a ministry briefing last month, President Lee Jae Myung weighed in on the issue, stating that “when something is free, it can feel less precious, almost cheapened.” A simila