Children are dancing with glee to the beat of an African musical instrument called Djembe(젬베). This is an African music experience center operated by the Korea Multiculture Museum.

- It was funny. It was so funny the children had fun playing along. They loved it.
- I liked it because it’s something difficult to experience anywhere else. I’m from Chuncheon in Gangwon Province.

Just a few years ago, it was difficult to spot foreigners unless you went to a famous tourist spot or shopping mall. However, Korea now hosts ten million foreign tourists annually with one million foreign residents. We are living in a truly global age where the whole world seems to be living under one roof. With globalization in full swing and so many youth wanting to go out into the world, there has been an increase in themed exhibitions and museums focusing on different cultures of the world.

It’s impossible to visit every single country in the world. However, the Korea Multiculture Museum located in Bulgwangdong(불광동), Seoul provides a glimpse into cultures from around the world without having to go too far from home. Here’s Kim Yoon-tae, the head of the museum.

You’ll feel like you’re going on a trip abroad. We couldn’t prepare everything from all the countries around the world, but we have tried to pick out the interesting culture and themes from each country to put on display. Another great thing about our museum is that it is experience-based. Instead of just observing, visitors will be able to make things, learn the dances, try the food, and so on.



Like most museums these days, the Korea Multiculture Museum does not just have items on display, it has many hands-on activities. The museum is always full of visitors who want to experience foreign culture that one can only experience abroad.

We have large sculptures of famous world heritages on the first floor and the second floor has exhibition rooms for items from China and Egypt. We also have a large collection of swords from various countries on display on the second floor. The third floor houses the themed exhibitions including the Venice exhibition. We have a real 11-meter-long gondola on display, and I believe it is the only one in Korea. The fourth floor is an experience hall where we have a runway for fashion shows, a large hall where we can show African dances, an area for cooking classes, and the fifth floor has a large auditorium for concerts and seminars.

Once you walk through the doors of the first floor that look like the gates of a European castle, you can see miniatures of famous world heritages in a glance. The large Trojan Horse in the center stands as tall as the second floor, giving the entire museum an exotic air.

The route is important in a museum because of the direction of foot traffic. I didn’t want our visitors to see everything as soon as they walked in so the Trojan Horse was made to stand 7-8 meters tall. Instead, visitors can walk into the wooden horse and see Turkish ceramics as well as a video about the Trojan Horse. That’s why the first floor is made up of sculptures.

With the Trojan Horse in the center, visitors can see the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Milan Cathedral, the Tower of Pisa, the Taj Mahal, and more, all around the first floor. Although they are miniatures, they look so much like the real thing that if you take a picture with them in the background you might feel as though you were in that city.

A miniature of the Great Wall of China greets visitors entering the second floor. Visitors can climb the wall up and down and twenty terra cotta soldiers found in the Mausoleum of the Qin Emperor are also on display.

The Great Wall of China and terra cotta soldiers are symbols of China displayed in the Chinese Exhibition room. We found an artist in China who could recreate the terra cotta soldiers. They were so heavy that five men could barely lift one. The Great Wall was made using ancient Chinese bricks to give it an authentic feel.



In the Thai Exhibition Room, there are elephant sculptures of various shapes and sizes and an exact replica of the Emerald Temple. The Egyptian Room also allows visitors to feel like they are archaeologists traveling among the pyramids and mummies. The world sword exhibition on the second floor is also a must-see. Real swords from various countries are on display and visitors can feel the culture of each respective country through the swords’ shape, size and even its handle.

Those swords had to go through a special inspection by the police. The swords come from countries like Spain, Nepal, Russia, and Egypt. The sword from Spain was used for bull fights. Nepalese swords are famous around the world with some even known to have blocked bullets. The one displayed at our museum is so heavy that two grown men have difficulty carrying it and was used to slaughter cows or sheep in one stroke. We have around 30 different swords that were used by Vikings, Greeks and Roman soldiers.

There is much to see on the third floor. The Venetian Room is near the entrance and the walls of the room are full of famous Venetian masks. It almost feels like the room is full of people wearing masks, staring at the visitors.

Venetian masks are very detailed and are a big part of Italian culture. Even the finest tailored Italian suit cannot be complete without the mask. We were able to acquire the masks at one of the oldest Venetian mask producers through the help of the Italian Embassy. We have around 68 of them on display here.

A face with gold around the eyes, separated by two different colors… the eyes are a bit scary, but the expressions capture our attention. Some even have feathers as decoration. All 68 masks are different and unique and special, but they are not enough to fully understand Italian culture. In front of the masks, there is an 11-meter-long gondola, a specialty of Venice. The boat was actually made in Italy and brought to Korea.

The gondola is a symbol of Venice. It is said that there are 100 gondolas in Venice and they aren’t produced anymore. With one gondola breaking down each year, there may not be any more left in a hundred years. So we made the decision to purchase one quickly. It took about six months to bring the gondola to Korea and it was really difficult to bring it up to the third floor. It’s a small space, but you can really feel like you’re in Venice.



On the walls of the museum, visitors can see coins, musical instruments, and clothing from around the world. At the center is a collection of the world’s music boxes and snow globes. If you stand in the middle of the room, you feel like you are embracing all the different cultures of the world.

If you’ve had a look around, it’s time now to experience the culture first hand! There are thirty different cultural experience programs that are carried out in turn. Here is Lee Soo-min, the head of the experience programs department at the museum.

We have many items from all over the world on display, and our visitors can also experience different cultures through foreign teachers here. Items from thirty different countries are on display, and we have teachers from countries that are not on display who visit the museum for the experience programs. Our African dance experience program is run year-round and allows visitors to learn the dance and how to play the djembe. We also run fashion shows featuring costumes from all around the world, cooking classes for world cuisines, and a variety of other programs representing each country.

This is the Japanese cuisine experience center. Children who have already looked around the museum can stop here and make delicious Japanese food.

They also try their hands at making food from Sri Lanka.



We’re making a snack from Sri Lanka. It’s fried so we’re making the batter. It’s turning yellow. This is coconut milk.
The crispy yellow snacks are traditional Sri Lankan papadums. The batter is fried in coconut oil and dipped in curry powder.

- This is tasty, very savory.
- It’s delicious. Really yummy!

The cultural experience programs at the museum are run by people from the respective countries in their own languages and English. Amile(아밀레) is learning educational technology here in Korea while also conducting the cultural experience programs at the museum. Amile says it’s a wonderful experience being able to teach Koreans about Sri Lankan culture.

I’m so proud to be able to tell children from other countries about my own culture. People who did not know about our culture can learn about it and may also think it’s cool. It makes me happy to think that more people will come to know my culture.



The cooking class is an experience for our taste buds, but the arts and crafts classes and special lectures are for our eyes.

The Japanese experience team teaches visitors Japanese expressions and songs. They’re also teaching visitors how to make tops that Japanese children make for New Years Day. It might be a little difficult but experiencing a new culture is always fun.

The most popular program is the African music and costume experience program. Visitors can try on different costumes from African countries and hold their own fashion show, so it is especially popular among teenagers.

Right next to the room full of costumes is the lively African music experience room. Here is Lee Soo-min again.

Many people think of museums as a very still and quiet place, but here we can take our shoes off and jump around and play, no matter what our age is. Everyone loves it.



The free spirit of the African rhythm makes everyone dance along to the beat. They don’t know how much time has passed when singing, dancing and enjoying the experience together.

- I came to experience various cultures around the world without having to travel to other countries. I was able to touch and feel the culture for myself. It wasn’t a stiff, silent museum, but a museum that I can really relate to.
- It was great being able to indirectly experience other cultures of the world. If I come often, I think I’ll be able to take more time to look at each culture in depth. The exhibitions did a great job going into detail with each country’s distinct features. I’m satisfied with my experience.


Different languages, different skin color, different customs… they might have all felt awkward and strange. However, we have moved on to a global age and have come to understand our differences and are learning from them. Now, we are curious about cultures all around the world, and there certainly is more to see. We can learn the world over at the Korea Multiculture Museum. It’s the starting point for us to spread our wings and fly into the world and our future dreams.