A celebrated bronze statue of Thailand’s “Walking Buddha” has gone on display in Korea for the first time, as the National Museum of Korea launches its largest exhibition of Thai art.
The show, Amazing Thailand: Masterpieces of Thai Art, opened on 23 June in Seoul’s Yongsan District and brings together 239 works from 21 Thai national museums. Admission is free until the end of June, with the exhibition running through 6 September.
At its centre is the 14th‑century Walking Buddha, known in Thai as pang leela. Standing 154 centimetres tall, the figure is depicted mid‑stride, its robe flowing as if caught in motion. Unlike most Buddhist sculptures, which show the Buddha seated or standing still, this Sukhothai‑period masterpiece symbolises the Buddha actively approaching humanity.
Curator Noh Nam‑hee described the piece as “a unique work of art that symbolises the Buddha actively approaching sentient beings,” contrasting it with Korea’s contemplative Pensive Maitreya Bodhisattva.
The exhibition spans Thailand’s civilisation from prehistoric times to the present. Highlights include a ninth‑century Dvaravati boundary stone weighing 700 kilograms, a 15th‑century sculpture of Buddha leaving footprints, and the former central gate of Bangkok’s Emerald Buddha Temple, shown abroad for the first time.
Visitors can also see Sangkhalok ceramics decorated with fish motifs, once exported widely across Asia, and crafts linked to Khon, Thailand’s traditional masked dance drama. The exhibition design itself draws inspiration from temple walls and palace corridors, immersing visitors in Thai cultural heritage.
Museum director You Hong‑june said the exhibition reflects Korea’s growing cultural inclusivity: “As K‑culture spreads around the world, our perspective of the world is changing as well. We organised this exhibition out of the belief that our own culture should also become more inclusive.”
Thailand’s deputy culture official Tossaporn Srisamamn welcomed the collaboration, saying he hoped “K‑culture and T‑culture will flourish side by side around the world.”
Thailand is home to Korea’s second‑largest Southeast Asian community and is a favourite destination for Korean travellers. Organisers say the exhibition offers a rare chance to experience Thai art in depth, with a travelling version set to open at the Tongdosa Museum in Yangsan in October.
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