The highly anticipated “Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige” exhibition concluded on Sunday, drawing an impressive 285,401 visitors. Despite daily attendance being capped at 2,550, with 150 visitors per session, all available slots were fully booked, according to museum officials.
The exhibition, which opened in November, showcased six stunning gold crowns, usually housed in various museums across South Korea. This marked a historic reunion, bringing these treasures together for the first time in approximately 104 years since their discovery in ancient Silla (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) tombs in Gyeongju. Gyeongju, located 275 kilometers southeast of Seoul, served as the capital of the Silla kingdom, which at its peak controlled roughly two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula.
Interest in the exhibition soared even before its opening, sparked by the presentation of a gold crown replica to U.S. President Donald Trump during a Korea-U.S. summit. This event fueled a “gold crown open-run,” as described by local media, with visitors eager to enter as soon as the museum doors opened.
To manage the increasing crowds, the museum implemented an online reservation system, limiting daily admissions to 2,550. However, even with the system in place, long queues extended far beyond the museum’s entrance during the final two weeks of the exhibition, according to officials.
The Gyeongju National Museum has announced its intention to host similar gold crown exhibitions every ten years. This commitment marks the first time a Korean national museum has pledged to periodically exhibit a specific artifact or theme. In 2035, the exhibition will be expanded to include gold crowns unearthed both within Korea and abroad.
Later this year, the museum plans to showcase the gold crowns in other provincial cities, including Yangsan and Cheongdo. Furthermore, special exhibitions highlighting Silla culture will be held in Paris and Shanghai.
