{
  "id": 4953211,
  "title": "How Korea's national museum turned ancient artifacts into costume-play sensation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/how-koreas-national-museum-turned-ancient-artifacts-into-costume-play-4953211",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-01T22:37:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/koreanheritage/20260902/how-koreas-national-museum-turned-ancient-artifacts-into-costume-play-sensation"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Each year, Korea's National Museum of Korea transforms its most treasured artifacts into a unique costume-play sensation. Rather than remaining behind glass, these historical relics take center stage, strutting down runways, posing for selfies, and even performing choreography in front of eager crowds. Visitors get to step into the roles of golden Buddhist sculptures, 57 B.C.-935 A.D. Silla roof tiles, Bronze Age bells, and even a life-sized map of the Korean Peninsula. This peculiar tradition has evolved from a simple museum participation program into a rapidly growing heritage fandom event.\n\nThe 2021 edition of the \"Dress Like a Museum\" contest drew an impressive 275 teams and 643 participants, more than tripling last year's 83 entries. This surge in interest showcases the growing enthusiasm for Korean cultural heritage. Contestants are not merely asked to mimic these artifacts; they are encouraged to breathe life into them through their own storytelling. The event's slogan, \"It is time to awaken the artifact sleeping inside you,\" perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the contest and invites participants to rediscover the hidden potential of these cultural treasures.",
  "summary": "For one day, Korea’s most revered artifacts are no longer kept behind museum glass. Instead, they stride down runways, pose for selfies and perform choreography in front of crowds — as visitors dressed as golden Buddhist sculptures, smiling 57 B.C.-935 A.D. Silla roof tiles, Bronze Age bells and even a life-size map of the Korean Peninsula. If Halloween is the annual occasion when people borrow…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "How Korea's national museum turned ancient artifacts into costume-play sensation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/how-koreas-national-museum-turned-ancient-artifacts-into-costume-play",
        "published": "2026-09-01T22:02:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}