The Gyeongju National Museum announced Thursday that it will extend its groundbreaking exhibition featuring six gold crowns from the ancient Silla Kingdom through February 22 next year, following overwhelming public interest and record-breaking visitor numbers. The exhibition "Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige," which was originally scheduled to conclude on December 14, marks the first time in history that all six Silla gold crowns have been displayed together in a single exhibition.

The museum has experienced unprecedented demand since the exhibition opened, with long lines forming every morning as visitors queue to witness these ancient treasures from the Silla Kingdom, which ruled from 57 BC to AD 935. Due to the massive crowds and safety concerns, museum officials have implemented visitor capacity limits to ensure a quality viewing experience for all attendees.

To better manage the overwhelming interest and reduce on-site congestion, the museum will launch a new online reservation system beginning Monday. Each viewing session will accommodate 150 visitors total, with 70 slots available through online reservations and 80 tickets distributed on-site on a first-come, first-served basis. Online reservations will open at 10:00 a.m. on Monday through the museum's official website, while on-site tickets will be distributed starting at 9:20 a.m. each day.

The exhibition, which was organized to coincide with APEC 2025, showcases some of Korea's most precious archaeological discoveries. Among the six magnificent crowns on display is one designated as a National Treasure, which was excavated in 1973 from Cheonmachong, known as the "tomb of heavenly horse." This tomb earned its distinctive name from a beautiful mural depicting a heavenly horse that was discovered inside the burial chamber during the excavation.

During the recent APEC 2025 summit, a replica of one of these historic crowns was presented as a gift to US President Donald Trump during his official visit to Gyeongju, highlighting the international significance and cultural importance of these ancient artifacts. The ancient Silla Kingdom, which lasted for nearly a millennium, is often referred to as the "Golden Kingdom" due to its remarkable collection of gold artifacts and the sophisticated metalworking techniques developed by its artisans.