July In Seoul: Must-See Cultural Events & Museum Exhibitions

Curious about the special exhibitions and must-visit events in Seoul this July? You’re in luck! We’re here to help you discover all the exciting happenings in the capital city that you can have right at your fingertips!

Summer in Korea has been heating up in more ways than one. While visiting may include itineraries dedicated to visiting K-Drama locations or seeing your favorite idol, Seoul also has numerous museums and galleries that offer a wide range of exhibitions. They range from permanent exhibitions to temporary that are only around for a limited amount of time. So seize the opportunity while they’re still here, or else you might never get the chance again! Whether you’re an avid art lover or simply searching for free indoor activities, look no further.

Here are the events we suggest checking out heading into July. Summer heat is looming upon us, so escaping into an AC-filled space sounds like the perfect activity. There, you can embrace all the exhibitions and pieces of art that Korea has to offer.

1. Record, Memory Of You

Duration of the exhibition: May 1st, 2025 ~ July 6th, 2025
Location: National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
Location tip: Located in Gwanghwamun and in front of Gyeongbokgung palace
Price: Free
Learn more here
In 2025, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and the National Archives are collaborating to expand the exhibition into “Record, Memory of You,” adding key records from modern history and liberation. Visitors are invited to reflect on how daily records build history.

2. Five Transformative Conversations

Duration of the exhibition: April 4th, 2025 ~ July 13th, 2025
Location: National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art
Location tip: Located close to Gyeonbokgung palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

Through this exhibition, visitors are invited to explore diverse forms of language and expression through ongoing workshops, talks, and screenings, fostering connection across linguistic differences. Participants are encouraged to describe artworks based on their personal perceptions, contributing to an audio description script that will later be published as a book. The project highlights how individual experiences and expressions deepen our understanding of art.

3. Ron Mueck

Duration of the exhibition: April 11th, 2025 ~ July 13th, 2025
Location: National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art
Location tip: Located close to Gyeonbokgung palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

The exhibition includes the large-scale installation “Mass” (2016–2017), iconic earlier pieces like “Young Couple” (2013) and “Woman With Shopping” (2013), and newer works that extend his artistic language. It also features films and photographs by Gautier Deblonde, offering an intimate look into Mueck’s studio and creative process. The exhibition traces Mueck’s nearly 30-year sculptural journey, highlighting his impact on contemporary figurative sculpture and prompting reflection on the human experience.

4. Flexible Geometry

Duration of the exhibition: April 4th, 2025 ~ July 13th, 2025
Location: Seoul Museum Of Craft Art
Location tip: Located in Insadong
Price: Free
Learn more here

“Flexible Geometry” is a body of work that emphasizes the clear, stable qualities of pleated forms—such as repetition, rhythm, and balance—while introducing variation and transformation. The artist precisely designs pleated patterns using 3D modeling and slip casting techniques, then shapes them in clay, organically altering the forms through cutting, bending, and refining by hand. This intuitive manipulation transforms the strictly calculated structure into dynamic, breathing forms. By merging meticulous design, the physical properties of clay, and tactile sensitivity, the artist captures a continuously flowing and evolving shape, presenting a new sculptural language called “Flexible Geometry.”

5. Sacred Stitches Leading To Nirvana

Duration of the exhibition: May 5th, 2025 ~ July 27th, 2025
Location: Seoul Museum Of Craft Art
Location tip: Located in Insadong
Price: Free
Learn more here

This exhibition highlights the cultural and spiritual significance of the Kasaya, a sacred robe worn by monks and symbolizing the Buddha’s teachings. Introduced to Korea over 1,700 years ago, the Kasaya became more than monastic attire—it represents Dharma transmission and the vow to liberate all beings. Featuring embroidered robes and portraits of revered monks, the exhibit showcases the Kasaya as a reflection of devotion, craftsmanship, and spiritual commitment, with each stitch embodying deep prayers and aspirations.

6. Say Cheeeese~

National Folk Museum Of Korea

Duration of the exhibition: May 14th, 2025 ~ July 27th, 2025
Location: National Folk Museum of Korea
Location tip: Located by Gyeongbokgung palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

The National Folk Museum of Korea’s exhibition explores the cultural significance and evolution of these studios through interviews with photographers and clients. It highlights how photography documented everyday Korean life and the memories tied to each image.

7. Souvenirs

National Folk Museum Of Korea

Duration of the exhibition: May 27th, 2025 ~ September 14th, 2025
Location: National Folk Museum of Korea
Location tip: Located by Gyeongbokgung palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

This exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the meaning of commemoration and the role of souvenirs in preserving memories. As we navigate life’s meaningful moments, we often seek to remember them through tangible objects. Souvenirs become tokens of our desire to hold on to what is precious. Surrounded by these mementos, the exhibition encourages a reconsideration of why we commemorate and what truly makes something a “souvenir.” It prompts a personal reflection on how small artifacts can carry deep emotional and commemorative significance.

8. Sinabaru

Gallery Chosun

Duration of the exhibition: May 8th, 2025 ~ July 8th, 2025
Location: Gallery Chosun
Location tip: Located by Gyeongbokgung Palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

This exhibition by Han YoHan and Achraf Touloub explores what remains after the body disappears—fragments, traces, and echoes—drawing from images of their past collaborative performances from 2017, 2019, and 2023. Rather than revisiting the past, the artists use these images to reflect on the nature of collaboration and the role of the body in performance. The exhibition becomes a space to examine how the self meets the other and to experiment with the spatial dynamics of that encounter in the present.

9. Vision And Perspective 2025

Busan Museum Of Art

Duration of the exhibition: April 10th, 2025 ~ July 6th, 2025
Location: Sungkok Art Museum
Location tip: Located by Gyeonghuigung Palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

This multi-floor exhibition, a collaboration between the Busan Museum of Art and the Sungkok Art Museum, showcases the diverse practices of emerging artists. Each floor highlights different themes. Guided by the phrase 수류만개 (“as water flows, flowers bloom”), the exhibition emphasizes a patient, reflective engagement with each artist’s work, inviting viewers to discover meaning over time as the full depth of each practice gradually unfolds.

10. Illusion Of Sculpture: ‘Translated images － the familiar difference’

Pyo Gallery

Duration of the exhibition: June 20th, 2025 ~ July 18th, 2025
Location: Pyo Gallery
Location tip: Located by Gyeongbokgung Palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

This exhibition goes beyond imitation or reference; it aims to dismantle the authority of art history and traditional visual norms. Traversing painting and sculpture, reality and illusion, original and copy, this experiment revives the idea of “post-sculpture” and prompts viewers to reflect deeply—and anew—on what it means to truly see.