The National Museum of Korea Glows in Pink
Space-EX | Seoul’s Landmark Spaces Transform into K-POP Stages
National Museum of Korea × BLACKPINK: A New Paradigm of Collaboration
Lighting Installation: Illuminating the Museum Exterior in Pink
Held from February 27 to March 8, 2026, this collaboration celebrated the release of BLACKPINK’s 3rd mini-album, “DEADLINE.” It was a bold initiative that saturated the National Museum of Korea with the group’s unique universe. The campaign transformed this classical sanctuary into a modern brand experience through a multi-sensory strategy: a Spotify listening session to captivate the ears, an audio tour narrated by the group members, and a striking pink media facade that offered a breathtaking visual transformation. At sunset, an intense “pink lighting” installation swept across the museum’s facade and the Open Plaza, breathing dynamic vitality into the static stone architecture. A highlight of the experience was the Mirror Pond, where the pink-hued reflection of the building offered a visual marvel—the result of a striking aesthetic collision between classical heritage and modern trends. From the moment visitors stepped onto the grounds, this visual immersion served as a powerful signal, intuitively marking their entry into a completely different version of the museum.
The interior was meticulously curated with a sophisticated visual language. At the entrance, large flags blending traditional Dancheong (coloring on wooden buildings and artifacts) motifs with the BLACKPINK logo signaled a harmonious collaboration. Along the “Path of History,” black carpeting and pink ambient lighting transformed the corridor into an exclusive showcase venue. This journey culminated at the Ten- story Stone Pagoda of Gyeongcheonsa Temple, where a media facade layered the artist’s narrative onto the relic, preserving its integrity while bridging tradition and modernity.
The essence of this spatial design lies in its “unconventionality” and “boldness,” achieved by layering the vibrant identity of a modern icon over a solemn, static space. By redefining the museum from a mere repository of relics into a modern cultural sanctuary for global K-pop fans, this initiative has opened a new chapter in global marketing through K-POP collaboration.
Listening Zone: Reimagining the “Path of History” and the Gwanggaeto Stele
The museum’s main hall, the “Path of History,” was reimagined as an immersive listening zone. At its center, the 8-meter-tall digital Gwanggaeto the Great Stele served as a focal point, where dedicated kiosks allowed visitors to explore BLACKPINK’s new tracks. The accompanying media art pulsated in sync with the beat, allowing visuals and sound to converge and transform the entire hall into a sensory stage. Moving beyond the simple act of listening, this initiative realized the “premium audio space” trend within the museum, inviting visitors to fully immerse themselves in the site’s unique atmosphere through all five senses.
The project’s success was driven by the black carpet area, which was strategically partitioned from the standard tour route to create a private listening sanctuary.
The striking sight of visitors in high- performance headphones, absorbed in the aura of the massive stele, became a viral sensation— effectively turning the space itself into compelling shareable content. By encouraging guests to linger and savor the grandeur of the relics alongside the music, this design increased average dwell time. Ultimately, it proposed a new paradigm for the museum experience: transforming historic artifacts from mere “objects to pass by” into “content to be deeply explored.”
Special Audio Docent: Through the Voice of BLACKPINK
The special audio docent featured all four members of BLACKPINK, leveraging their status as global icons to narrate the rich history of South Korea’s traditional heritage. By scanning dedicated QR codes placed beside the artifacts, visitors explored the museum guided by the members’ familiar voices. The eight featured National Treasures—including the Pensive Bodhisattva and the Silla Gold Crown—were personally curated by the members themselves. By narrating the stories of these millennia-old relics, the members transformed potentially dense historical information into a compelling, immersive narrative. With multilingual offerings in Korean (Jisoo, Jennie), English (Rose′), and Thai (Lisa), the project allowed the global audience to connect with Korean culture in their native tongues. Ultimately, this initiative repositioned traditional heritage from “unfamiliar cultural knowledge” into a “trendy asset” shared with beloved icons, effectively expanding K-Pop’s influence into the realm of traditional culture.
The limited-edition postcard set, awarded upon completing the eight-stop docent tour, served as the primary catalyst for active visitor engagement. Each morning, the museum was met with long queues forming well before opening hours, with daily stocks consistently running out early. To secure the exclusive set, visitors navigated the expansive museum space—from the “Room of Quiet Contemplation” to the “Path of History”—as if on a treasure hunt. This approach successfully directed visitors to less-visited areas of the museum. This unique opportunity to appreciate historical relics through the voices of BLACKPINK members ignited organic social media engagement among Gen Z and international audiences, fostering a new cultural trend of modern heritage pilgrimage. Visitors who initially came for BLACKPINK found themselves naturally captivated by the serene beauty of the Pensive Bodhisattva and the intricate craftsmanship of the Silla Gold Crown. This seamless transition—where a journey sparked by fascination with K-Pop leads to an encounter with history and cultural heritages—underscores the boundless potential of K-Branding as demonstrated by this landmark NMK × BLACKPINK collaboration.
