Museum of Gugak, Museum of traditional Korean music in Seocho District, Seoul

The Museum of Gugak occupies a four-storey building of 3,348 m² inside the National Gugak Center in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Its six permanent exhibition rooms, organised around seven themes, display about 250 instruments and audio-visual items, among them a gayageum workshop showing how the instrument is built.

The Museum of Gugak opened on 23 February 1995 inside the National Gugak Center in Seocho-dong, Seoul. It was set up to hold and study some 6,000 objects and documents related to traditional Korean music. Its displays trace instruments from ancient signalling tools to court and folk music, and the building also keeps the legacy of the Jangakwon, the Joseon court music office.

The museum's seven permanent halls are organised by social context: court music, folk music, scholar music, and the music of King Sejong. In the scholar hall, a recreated pungnyubang lets visitors read old scores and play instruments themselves. The court hall displays folding screens of Joseon royal banquets alongside the instruments painted in them.

The museum is easy to reach by public transport and also has on-site parking. It is closed on Mondays and New Year's Day, so it is worth checking those dates before planning a visit.

The museum has a 3D room where animated films show scenes from traditional performances, which is an unusual way to experience music history. Outside, a small stage occasionally features robots dancing in traditional styles, something many visitors do not expect to find there.