From royal seals to water droppers: Korea's museum cosplay contest finale thrills onlookers

The National Museum of Korea’s artifact cosplay contest finale drew thousands to its open plaza in Seoul on Saturday. Twenty-five finalist teams performed as museum artifacts, and 22-year-old Jeon Eun-seul won top prize for recreating a white porcelain carp-shaped water dropper. Museum director Yoo Hong-jun said the event has become a festival unlike any other and will be expanded next year.

This year’s contest drew 275 teams and 643 participants, more than three times last year’s 83 entries.

More than 2,000 people registered in advance to attend, and the crowd was estimated at about 3,000 including unregistered onlookers.

The final round featured 25 teams, with contestants portraying Buddhist statues, royal seals, bronze bells, ancient pottery and Joseon-era stationery.

The top prize went to 22-year-old Jeon Eun-seul for her recreation of a white porcelain carp-shaped water dropper, a late-Joseon period artifact.

Museum director Yoo Hong-jun said the museum will make next year’s edition bigger.

Published Sep 20, 2026 5:20 pm KST

Thousands gather to cheer cultural heritage turned performance at music-filled outdoor spectacle

Finalists from this year's "Dress Like a Museum" contest at the National Museum of Korea perform on a red carpet in front of some 3,000 spectators during the final round in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

A giant golden royal seal swayed down a red carpet to pounding music, along with two women — one dressed in a Western-style uniform from the Great Korean Empire period, the other in a green Joseon era official’s robe and sunglasses.

“Where did the state seal go?” they called out as thousands of spectators cheered at the National Museum of Korea’s open plaza in Seoul on Saturday afternoon.

The seal, handcrafted from a barbecue restaurant exhaust hood and a large box spray-painted gold, represented "Jegojibo," the royal seal used for imperial decrees. Looted and taken to Japan in 1911 during the colonial occupation, the seal returned home decades after Korea’s liberation.

Their entrance set the tone for the final round of “Dress Like a Museum Exhibit,” the National Museum of Korea’s increasingly popular artifact cosplay contest.

Lee Dae-yang, a finalist for this year's "Dress Like a Museum" contest by the National Museum of Korea, is dressed as the museum’s iconic Pensive Bodhisattva in Seoul, Saturday. Newsis

What began in 2024 as a small program has grown into a nationwide heritage fan event, drawing 275 teams and 643 participants this year — more than three times last year’s 83 entries.

More than 2,000 people registered in advance to attend. The seats at the venue filled early, while additional visitors stopped on their way to the galleries and gathered by railings to watch. With unregistered onlookers included, the crowd swelled to an estimated 3,000 people.

[COVER STORY] 'Dress Like a Museum' contest triggers cosplay sensation

At Saturday’s final, 25 teams transformed the open plaza into something between a red carpet awards show, a cosplay convention and an outdoor concert. The contestants came as Buddhist statues, royal seals, bronze bells, ancient pottery and Joseon-era stationery, each accompanied by handmade props. Finalists performed short routines to show off their costumes with the original artifact’s image displayed on the stage.

Thousands of spectators gather at the National Museum of Korea's open plaza in Seoul to watch the final round of this year's "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit" contest, Saturday. Yonhap

For many participants, the contest was not simply about reproducing the outward form of an object.

Two women in their 20s, who called their team “Breathing Turtles,” appeared in sunglasses and gold costumes, inspired by a turtle-shaped royal seal created when King Danjong was posthumously restored to the throne during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Preparing for graduate school and career changes, the duo said they had chosen the turtles because they often worried they were moving more slowly than others.

Finalists at this year's "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit" contest by the National Museum of Korea perform on a red carpet in front of some 3,000 spectators during the last round in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

“But we learned that the seal was created about 200 years after King Danjong’s death,” one contestant said. “It showed us that even if something takes a long time, sincerity can eventually be recognized. We will walk our own path at our own pace.”

A teenage boy, persuaded by his mother with the promise of pocket money, covered himself in gold paint and fabric to become a standing Buddha. He said the mole on his forehead, once a source of personal insecurity for him, had become his costume’s defining feature.

“Through an artifact of the past, I was able to live in the present and gain strength to move toward the future,” he said.

Park Seo-on and Da-on, the youngest finalists in this year's "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit" contest by the National Museum of Korea, perform on a red carpet in front of some 3,000 spectators in Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

The youngest finalists, 10-year-old twins Park Seo-on and Da-on, dressed as a pair of earthenware vessels shaped like horses and their riders. The pair said they chose it after seeing the artifacts at the museum and deciding the two figures riding side by side looked “just like us.”

Former basketball player and fashion model Lee Hye-jung turned a Bronze Age polished stone dagger into a runway performance, holding her arms overhead and walking sideways in tiny steps. The museum had once felt distant to her, she said, but dressing as an artifact made it feel more familiar.

Former basketball player and fashion model Lee Hye-jung walks on stage as a finalist in this year's "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit" contest, held by the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, Saturday. Newsis

Others gave their performances a contemporary spin. Webtoon artist Lee Dae-yang, painted gold from head to toe as the museum’s iconic Pensive Bodhisattva, rapped to a hip-hop beat, gesturing toward the audience like a concert performer.

The top prize went to Jeon Eun-seul, 22, for her recreation of a white porcelain carp-shaped water dropper, a late-Joseon period artifact.

A water dropper is a stationery object used to pour water onto an inkstone. Jeon, in a blue-and-white costume, lay on the ground and flopped her body like a carp leaping through water, drawing loud applause from the crowd.

Jeon Eun-seol, winner of this year's "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit"contest by the National Museum of Korea, performs in Seoul, Saturday. Newsis

“I am a job seeker who does not know what I am good at yet, but this award gave me a lot of courage,” she said.

Museum director Yoo Hong-jun, dressed in a deep blue traditional robe and hat, described the finalists as artifacts stepping out of their display cases and into the present.

“This event has become a festival unlike any other, where participants can exercise their creativity and imagination,” he said. The museum will make next year’s edition bigger, he added.

Finalists of this year's "Dress Like a Museum Exhibit" contest, held by the National Museum of Korea, pose at the museum in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of National Museum of Korea

韩国国立中央博物馆文物cosplay大赛决赛于周六在首尔的露天广场举行，吸引了数千名观众。25支决赛队伍分别扮演博物馆文物进行表演，最终22岁的全恩瑟凭借对一件白色瓷鲤鱼形水滴器的精彩还原，荣获一等奖。博物馆馆长柳洪俊表示，该活动已发展成为一场独一无二的盛会，明年将扩大规模。

今年的比赛吸引了 275 支队伍和 643 名参赛者，是去年 83 支队伍参赛人数的三倍多。

超过2000人提前登记参加，包括未登记的旁观者在内，估计现场观众约有3000人。

决赛共有 25 支队伍参赛，参赛者们分别扮演佛教雕像、皇家印章、铜钟、古代陶器和朝鲜时代的文具。

最高奖项颁给了 22 岁的全恩瑟，她复刻了一件朝鲜王朝晚期的文物——白色瓷鲤鱼形滴水器。

博物馆馆长柳洪俊表示，博物馆明年将扩大展览规模。

发布于2026年9月20日下午5:20（韩国标准时间）

数千人聚集在一起，为这场充满音乐的户外盛会欢呼，这场盛会将文化遗产演绎成了一场精彩的表演。

韩国国立中央博物馆举办的“穿出博物馆风采”大赛决赛于周六在首尔举行，决赛选手们在约3000名观众面前走上红毯进行表演。（韩联社）

一枚巨大的金色皇家印章伴着激昂的音乐，沿着红毯缓缓移动，同时出现的还有两位女士——一位身着大韩帝国时期的西式制服，另一位则穿着朝鲜时代官员的绿色长袍，戴着太阳镜。

周六下午，在首尔韩国国立中央博物馆的露天广场上，数千名观众欢呼雀跃，同时高喊着“国徽去哪儿了？”

这枚印章由烧烤店的排气罩和一个喷涂成金色的大盒子手工制成，代表的是“御玺印”，即用于颁布皇室诏令的皇家印章。这枚印章在1911年日本殖民统治时期被掠夺并运往日本，在韩国解放数十年后才得以回归故土。

他们的出场为韩国国立中央博物馆日益受欢迎的文物角色扮演大赛“装扮成博物馆展品”的决赛定下了基调。

李大阳是今年韩国国立中央博物馆“装扮成博物馆”大赛的决赛选手，周六在首尔，他装扮成该博物馆的标志性雕塑——沉思菩萨。

这项始于 2024 年的小规模活动已经发展成为一项全国性的传统文化爱好者盛会，今年吸引了 275 支队伍和 643 名参与者——是去年 83 支队伍参赛人数的三倍多。

超过2000人提前登记参加。会场座位很快爆满，还有一些参观者在前往展厅的路上驻足，聚集在栏杆旁观看。加上未登记的旁观者，人群估计达到了3000人。

【封面故事】“装扮成博物馆”大赛引发角色扮演热潮

在周六的决赛中，25支队伍将露天广场装点成一个融合了红毯颁奖典礼、角色扮演大会和户外音乐会的盛会。参赛者们装扮成佛像、皇家印章、铜钟、古代陶器和朝鲜时代文具，每件作品都配有手工制作的道具。决赛选手们表演了简短的节目来展示他们的服装，舞台上则展示了对应文物的图片。

周六，数千名观众聚集在首尔韩国国立中央博物馆的露天广场，观看今年“穿得像个博物馆展品”大赛的决赛。（韩联社）

对于许多参赛者来说，比赛不仅仅是复制物体的外形。

两名二十多岁的女子，自称“呼吸的乌龟”，戴着太阳镜，身穿金色服装，其灵感来自朝鲜王朝（1392-1910 年）端宗王被追授王位时制作的乌龟形皇家印章。

这对即将攻读研究生学位并面临职业转变的夫妇表示，他们选择乌龟作为研究对象，是因为他们经常担心乌龟行动比其他动物慢。

韩国国立中央博物馆举办的“博物馆展览着装大赛”决赛选手们周六在首尔举行决赛，并在约3000名观众面前走上红毯进行表演。（韩联社）

“但我们了解到，这枚印章是在端宗大王去世约200年后才制作的，”一位参赛者说道。“这告诉我们，即使事情需要很长时间，真诚最终也会被认可。我们会按照自己的节奏走自己的路。”

一位十几岁的男孩在母亲的劝说下，用金漆和布料把自己装扮成一尊站立的佛像，母亲承诺会给他零花钱。他说，他额头上的痣曾经是他自卑的根源，如今却成了他这身装扮的标志性特征。

他说：“通过一件过去的文物，我得以活在当下，并获得走向未来的力量。”

韩国国立中央博物馆举办的“博物馆展览着装大赛”今年最年轻的决赛选手朴叙温（Park Seo-on）和多温（Da-on）周六在首尔为约3000名观众走上红毯进行表演。（韩联社）

年龄最小的决赛选手是10岁的双胞胎朴叙温（Park Seo-on）和朴多温（Da-on），她们装扮成一对陶制马匹和骑手。这对姐妹说，她们在博物馆看到这些文物后，觉得并排骑马的两个人偶“看起来就像我们自己”，于是就选择了这个装扮。

前篮球运动员兼模特李慧贞将一把青铜时代的抛光石匕首变成了一场T台表演，她高举双臂，迈着小碎步侧身行走。她说，博物馆曾经让她感到遥远，但装扮成一件文物让她觉得更加亲切。

前篮球运动员兼模特李慧贞周六在首尔举行的韩国国立中央博物馆举办的“穿出博物馆展览风采”大赛决赛中登台亮相。

其他人则为他们的表演赋予了现代气息。网络漫画家李大阳从头到脚涂成金色，扮演博物馆标志性的沉思菩萨像，伴着嘻哈节奏说唱，像演唱会表演者一样向观众做手势。

最高奖项颁给了 22 岁的全恩瑟，她复制了一件朝鲜王朝晚期的文物——白色瓷鲤鱼形滴水器。

滴水器是一种用来向砚台上滴水的固定器具。身着蓝白相间服装的全智贤躺在地上，像鲤鱼跃出水面一样扑腾着身体，引来观众的热烈掌声。

今年由韩国国立中央博物馆举办的“穿出博物馆展览的感觉”大赛冠军全恩雪（Jeon Eun-seol）将于周六在首尔演出。（Newsis）

“我是一名求职者，还不知道自己擅长什么，但这个奖项给了我很大的勇气，”她说。

博物馆馆长柳洪俊身着深蓝色传统长袍和帽子，将入围决赛的展品比作从展柜中走出来，来到现代的文物。

他说：“这项活动已经发展成为一个独一无二的节日，参与者可以在这里尽情发挥创造力和想象力。”他还补充说，博物馆将把明年的活动规模扩大。

由韩国国立中央博物馆举办的“穿出博物馆展览风采”大赛的决赛选手们于周六在首尔的博物馆内合影。图片由韩国国立中央博物馆提供。