Dunhuang Buddhist Sutras at the National Museum of Korea

Dunhuang Buddhist Sutras at the National Museum of Korea: A Rare Display Through Jan 24, 2027

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Last checked: October 27, 2026. Details can change, so confirm on the National Museum of Korea website.

From October 23, 2026 to January 24, 2027, the National Museum of Korea in Seoul shows five Buddhist sutra scrolls from the Dunhuang caves in China. The display, titled “Opening the Thousand-Year Seal,” is small. It sits in the Central Asia room of the permanent exhibition hall and does not fill a special exhibition gallery. It is still a rare chance to see handwritten sutras more than 1,000 years old.

Quick facts

  • Dates: October 23, 2026 to January 24, 2027
  • Where: National Museum of Korea, 3rd floor World Cultures Gallery, Central Asia room, 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
  • Admission: Free
  • Hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri and Sun 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.); Wed and Sat 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last entry 8:30 p.m.)
  • Closed: The permanent exhibition hall closes on the first Monday of March, June, September and December. The next closure is December 7, 2026.

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What you will see

Four of the sutras belong to the National Museum of Korea, bought in 1913 by the Yi Royal Family Museum. The fifth belongs to the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University.

  • Daji du lun (Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom), volume 12. Copied in the Sui dynasty in 593.
  • Surangama Sutra, volume 5. Dated to about the 8th to 9th century. A news report says only three institutions hold a complete copy of this scroll: the National Library of China, the British Library and the National Museum of Korea.
  • Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, volume 136. Dated to the 8th to 9th century. The same report says only the National Museum of Korea and the British Library hold a complete copy.
  • Sutra of the Buddhas’ Names, volume 7. Survives in three separate pieces.
  • Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, volume 50. From the Kyujanggak collection. The original is on view until November 22, then replaced by a replica.

The museum also recreates Cave 17 at Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves at close to real size. This is the “Library Cave” where tens of thousands of items, per the news report about 60,000, were sealed for about a thousand years. The show is based on a 2025 museum publication on its Dunhuang sutras.

Tips for international visitors

  • Go before November 22 if you want to see the Kyujanggak original.
  • The display is small. Combine it with the rest of the Central Asia room and the museum’s other galleries.
  • Wednesday and Saturday evenings are open until 9 p.m.

Sources

  • Ajunews, report on the Dunhuang sutra display (October 23, 2026)
  • Daily Art, report on the Dunhuang sutra display
  • National Museum of Korea, visitor information page

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