🏛️ These are ancient artifacts, so why are they exactly my taste?

2026.09

Hello, this is the O-SEAN Merch Letter. When you see great merch, the first thing you do is save the photo. But when you try to apply it to your own event, it can be hard to know which part to take as a reference. This time, we looked for the answer in MU:DS, the museum merch you can find at the National Museum of Korea.

A large bell became the pattern on a handkerchief, and the flowers and birds embroidered on a traditional ceremonial robe ended up on a fan. When you look at which features were chosen and what objects they became, it gets easier to spot material your own brand could turn into merch. We've gathered the new releases, comparison examples, official retail prices, and the conditions to check when producing something similar.

(Regional Heritage Collection · ⓒNational Museum Cultural Foundation · Provided via official press release)

First, let's look at the scope of these new releases. On September 1, the National Museum Cultural Foundation unveiled 100 MU:DS products based on cultural heritage from 13 regional national museums across Korea. You can find them at the National Museum of Korea, but they are not all based on its own collection. Each regional museum recommended the artifacts to turn into products and helped shape the development direction.

The lineup consists of 26 everyday items centered on fans, handkerchiefs, and bookmarks, and 74 craft items made with artists from various fields. The source material differs by region, such as the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok in Gyeongju, the hwarot (bridal robe) in Daegu, and the dongjaseok (stone child statues) in Jeju. Source: National Museum Cultural Foundation, Regional Heritage Collection press release

Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok bookmark: a bell shape, complete with a tiny striker.

(Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok bookmark · ⓒNational Museum Cultural Foundation · Online Museum Shop)

This bookmark comes with a small charm of the dangmok, the wooden log used to strike the bell. You slip the cord into the page you're reading and let the bell charm hang outside the book. It takes the shape of the bell and adds one more element that brings to mind how the bell is used. The official retail price is KRW 14,000, the bookmark measures 45×67mm, and it is made of nickel-plated stainless steel. Product information: Online Museum Shop

Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok fan and handkerchief: this time, the bell's patterns.

(Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok fan and handkerchief set · ⓒNational Museum Cultural Foundation · Online Museum Shop)

In this set based on the same bell, the flying celestial figures and the patterns from the lower part of the bell were turned into a repeating design. On the large fabric, the pattern spreads out, and on the fan, it follows the ribs. The handkerchief is 100% cotton and measures 550×550mm. The set, which includes one fan and one handkerchief plus packaging and a description card, is KRW 42,000. Product information: Online Museum Shop

Put the two products side by side and the takeaway becomes clear. For small objects, choose an easily recognizable shape; for wide surfaces, choose a pattern that can spread out. Even your company's signature product may call for highlighting different parts when it becomes a keyring versus when it is printed on fabric.

Daegu's hwarot set: the flowers and birds embroidered on the robe became a pattern.

(National Daegu Museum Regional Heritage Collection staged shot · ⓒNational Museum Cultural Foundation · Other craft products also appear in the photo.)

The hwarot fan and handkerchief set turns the flowers, butterflies, and birds from the embroidery into line-drawn patterns. The official description also points to the regional character of Daegu, where the textile industry developed. When planning merch for a local event, it helps to be able to explain why you chose your source material in the same way. This set is also KRW 42,000, and the handkerchief is 100% cotton. Product information: Online Museum Shop

As you browse more photos, look for both 'which artifact was used' and 'which feature was kept.' You can also compare how the same item changes from region to region.

Once you've chosen a shape or pattern, what should you add? Separately from the new regional heritage releases, we found approaches worth referencing in other MU:DS products. One is a collaboration that adds a brand's colors, and the other is a product made so you can hang things on it.

(BLACKPINK Heritage Collection · ⓒNational Museum Cultural Foundation·YG Entertainment · Provided via the foundation's official press release)

The BLACKPINK collaboration ties different objects together with the same colors. The 10th debut anniversary collection released in August has 7 items in total. It borrows design elements from the pheasants and plum blossom motifs on the 'Empress's Ceremonial Robe (jeogui pattern)' in the National Museum of Korea's collection and expresses black and pink as a gradient. The jeogui pattern is the garment template used to make the empress's ceremonial robe. Source: National Museum Cultural Foundation collaboration press release

Even though a fan, a cup, and a spoon-and-chopstick set serve different purposes, they look like one collection when placed together. When you choose several items for your own event, deciding on common colors and a repeating pattern first makes it easier to put the lineup together. You don't need a big logo on every item to create a sense of unity.

(Dongjaseok hook magnet · ⓒNational Museum Cultural Foundation · Online Museum Shop)

The dongjaseok hook magnet adds a 'hanging' function to a decorative piece. This product was selected in the 2026 MU:DS design competition. The official retail price is KRW 32,000, and it measures 40×100×30mm. According to the product description, it uses PP, a 100% recycled plastic, and a neodymium magnet. The hook magnet comes with a packaging box and a story card. Product information: Online Museum Shop

The question to take away here is simple. After 'Where should we put our character?', also ask **'What will the recipient do with this?'** Once you decide whether it hangs on a bag, holds a memo, or marks a page in a book, your criteria for choosing products become concrete. If you're considering a hook-type product, also check the surface it will attach to and the weight of what will hang on it.

This time, people became the artifacts: 'NMK Costume Play'

Bringing out an artifact's features goes one step beyond merch. **'2026 NMK Costume Play: National Edition'** is an event where participants express artifacts through costumes, makeup, and performance. They wear and move in the shapes and patterns they saw at the museum.

(2026 NMK Costume Play: National Edition main poster · ⓒNational Museum of Korea · Preliminary applications shown on the poster have closed.)

This year, 275 teams with 643 people applied across 4 regions nationwide, and 50 teams advanced to the main round. The regional main rounds took place in Chuncheon on September 5, Gongju on the 6th, Daegu on the 12th, and Jeonju on the 13th. The final at the National Museum of Korea is scheduled for September 19. Source: National Museum of Korea announcement of main-round entries

(Arhat statue in a kasaya robe costume · 2026 main-round entry photo · National Museum of Korea official announcement)

In the arhat costume, the first things you notice are the outline of the robe wrapped around the body and the facial expression. The features are emphasized so you can tell 'which artifact they chose' even from a distance.

(Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok costume · 2026 main-round entry photo · National Museum of Korea official announcement)

The Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok, which we saw earlier as a bookmark and handkerchief, has become a bell-shaped costume worn by a person. By enlarging the bell's outline and surface patterns, it shows the same artifact in yet another way. The photo is not from the September event itself but from the main-round entry materials the museum released in August.

You could apply this kind of participation to your own brand event, too. Pick your character's expression or the shape of your signature product, and turn it into masks or photo props that participants can decorate themselves. The idea is to think about not only what merch to give, but also how people will play with it.

Just as MU:DS put the shapes and patterns of artifacts into everyday items, O-SEAN turned the ocean that our name brings to mind into merch. We picked whales, shells, and waves and developed them into a mini pouch, a charm-chain keyring, and a handkerchief. All three are color-matched around blue so they look like a single set when placed together.

The images below are AI design mockups planned by O-SEAN. They are not actual produced products or MU:DS collaboration products, and the materials and production methods are suggestions to illustrate the idea.

① Wave mini pouch: the ocean, captured through touch

(Wave mini pouch · Planned by O-SEAN · AI design mockup)

We added wave-shaped quilting to a flat pouch with rounded corners. A blue zipper and a small embroidered whale add color to the ivory base, and the zipper pull is finished with a mint cord. Instead of printing the ocean as a big picture, the idea expresses it as a texture you feel with your hands.

We imagined it as a pouch for coins and small belongings. If you apply it to your brand, choose which features to put into the quilting lines and the small embroidery. With the sample, it's good to check whether the items you plan to carry fit and whether the opening is wide enough, along with the thickness of the quilting and how smoothly the zipper moves.

② Ocean charm-chain keyring: small charms that tell one story

(Ocean charm-chain acrylic keyring · Planned by O-SEAN · AI design mockup)

We arranged a shell, a wave pattern, and an O-SEAN name tag to follow beneath the whale. Each acrylic piece is linked with small metal rings, with a knotted cord on the side and a bell at the very bottom. We also developed it in two color combinations by changing the balance of blue and mint.

The fun of a charm-chain keyring is that it can show several symbols one after another. For a brand, you could link a character, a signature product, and a logo; for a local event, a landmark, a local food, and the place name. Place the image you most want to show large at the top, and the rest smaller.

As the charms add up, you need to check the overall length and weight, the strength of the connecting rings, and how it moves when hung on a bag. Also consider whether the sound of the bell suits the setting where it will be used.

③ Wave handkerchief: small drawings as a repeating pattern

(Wave handkerchief · Planned by O-SEAN · AI design mockup)

Where the keyring linked small charms one after another, the handkerchief repeats thin waves and small shells. A blue band runs around the edge so that the collection's color shows even when it's folded. The logo sits small in one corner.

You can spread out a flower from your event poster or a small drawing that symbolizes your region in the same way. With a handkerchief, check not only the pattern when it's unfolded but also which part of the design remains visible when it's folded. Before production, it's good to review the printed colors on the fabric, the sharpness of the lines, and how they change after washing.

If you bundle all three, how about a gift set called **'The Ocean in Your Pocket'**? You could pair the mini pouch and charm-chain keyring as the base and add the handkerchief. The packaging would include a short story about which features were taken from the whale and the waves.

For your brand, start by deciding on one signature shape, the colors to go with it, and the scene in which the recipient will use it. What needs checking differs by item, such as the quilting and sewing method for a pouch or the fabric for a handkerchief, so the minimum order quantity, price, and schedule should be confirmed separately once the design and specifications are set.

Compare the prices of the featured products at a glance. All are retail prices confirmed on the official Online Museum Shop on September 10, excluding shipping and optional extras. You can find the products below by searching their names on the official Online Museum Shop.

Not every store sells the same products. The Regional Heritage Collection is available at the Online Museum Shop, the National Museum of Korea, and the museum shops of the Gyeongju, Gwangju, Jeonju, Daegu, Jinju, Jeju, and Iksan National Museums. The foundation notes that products and schedules may vary by shop. If you're going to see a specific product, it's best to check with that store before visiting.

The BLACKPINK collection needs an even closer look. According to the foundation's August announcement, the actual products are on display at Museum Shop 2 of the National Museum of Korea, while online purchases were directed to YG SELECT. So that you don't visit assuming the display location is also where you can buy, please check the latest sales notice as well. BLACKPINK collection official notice

If you have a museum memory, there's an event you can join. 'A Treasure That Came to Me, Stories of the Region' is collecting stories about visits to regional national museums or about cultural heritage from September 1 to 30. Two entries per region, 26 in total, will be selected, and each winner receives products from that region's collection. For how to enter, please see the event notice on the Museum Shop. Source: Regional Heritage Collection official announcement

As you browse MU:DS, take note of the shapes, patterns, colors, and uses you like, such as bringing out a feature with a small charm or tying several items together with the same pattern and color. Apply these design points to your brand's character, signature product, or brand colors and create merch that belongs only to your brand.