The National Folk Museum of Korea on Aug. 6 said the number of visitors to the website of its Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture reached 1.69 million from January through June this year. (Screenshot from website)
By Xu Aiying
The number of users of the online Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture approached 1.7 million in the first half of this year.
Over 30% of visitors were from overseas, attesting to high global interest in Korean culture.
The National Folk Museum of Korea on Aug. 6 said the encyclopedia's site (folkency.nfm.go.kr) from January through June attracted 1.69 million users. Amid the recent surge in traffic especially from abroad, the figure is expected to reach 3.5 million for the year.
Since 2004, the museum has compiled thematic encyclopedias with the knowledge and information needed to understand Korean folk culture such as those on seasonal customs and folk games. The group of eight encyclopedias such as those on seasonal customs and folk beliefs is collectively known as the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture available online.
Based on encyclopedias covering 32 topics, the digital encyclopedia has over 12,000 entries and is available in Korean, English, Chinese and Spanish.
"We found that over 30% of users last year were overseas," a museum source said. "We're seeing steady use in the U.S. as well as Asia, Europe and South America."
xuaiy@korea.kr
