The Lee Kun-hee Collection international tour exhibition, titled "Treasures from Korea: Collecting, Cherishing, Sharing," opened at the National Museum of Asian Art under the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2025. Within one month, it attracted over 15,600 visitors—25% more than comparable past exhibitions—and all museum merchandise sold out within a week, generating approximately 100 million KRW in orders. The show features 330 works selected from over 23,000 pieces donated to South Korea in 2021 by the late Lee Kun-hee, former Samsung Group chairman, including seven National Treasures and fifteen Treasures. Highlights include the Beopgo-dae, which gained viral attention for resembling a character from the Netflix film 'KPop Demon Hunters.'
This exhibition matters because it marks the largest Korean art showcase ever held in the United States and is being hailed as a landmark event for K-culture's global reach. The strong attendance and merchandise sales demonstrate growing international appetite for traditional Korean art, particularly among younger audiences. The collaboration between major Korean and American institutions—the National Museum of Korea, MMCA, the National Museum of Asian Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago—signals deepening cultural diplomacy and positions Korean heritage as a key pillar of the broader K-culture phenomenon.