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Audeum: Korea’s First Audio Museum Named One of the World’s Most Beautiful by Prix Versailles
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Audeum: Korea’s First Audio Museum Named
One of the World’s Most Beautiful by Prix Versailles
Audeum, a private audio museum located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, has been honored as one of the world’s most beautiful museums, making the list of seven global recipients of the 2025 Prix Versailles Museum Awards, an accolade overseen by UNESCO.
The announcement places Audeum in the distinguished company of institutions such as France’s Grand Palais, Indonesia’s Saka Museum, Norway’s Kunstsilo, Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Art Futures, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Joslyn Art Museum in the United States.
The Prix Versailles, established in 2015 under the patronage of UNESCO, is one of the most prestigious international architecture prizes.
Celebrating excellence in architecture and design across diverse categories—such as airports, schools, shopping centers, sports stadiums, restaurants, and hotels—the award introduced a new Museum category in 2024 to mark its 10th anniversary.
This year, seven newly opened or renovated museums around the globe have been selected for the honor.
Among them, three will be further recognized with Interior, Exterior, and Overall Prix Versailles distinctions in December.
A Space That Listens: The Story of Audeum
Opened on June 5, 2024, Audeum (from the Latin root “audire,” meaning “to hear”) is South Korea’s first-ever museum dedicated exclusively to the history and evolution of audio technology.
It presents a comprehensive look at the development of sound recording and reproduction over the last 150 years, starting with Thomas Edison’s phonograph, invented in 1877.
The museum is operated by the Seojeon Cultural Foundation, established through the legacy of the late Chung Sang-young, founder of KCC Corporation, with additional support from his son, Chairman Chung Mong-jin, who personally contributed to the project’s funding.
With a total floor area of 224,246 square meters, the building spans five floors above ground and two underground.
Designed by Kengo Kuma, Built to Be Felt
Audeum’s architectural brilliance is largely credited to Kengo Kuma, the world-renowned Japanese architect.
This project marks his first realized building in South Korea.
Kuma’s architectural philosophy—melding technology and emotion, nature and urban life—takes physical form in Audeum.
The exterior is clad in 20,000 vertically aligned aluminum pipes, creating a shimmering forest-like façade that interacts with light and shadow.
This design not only blurs the lines between natural and built environments but also symbolically embraces sound as a spatial experience.
Inside, natural materials like wood and stone combine with modern acoustics to create a meditative, immersive space.
Kuma worked closely with Kenya Hara, the famed designer behind MUJI, to develop the museum's sensory-driven identity.
Together, they conceived Audeum as a place where “hearing becomes healing,” selecting auditory perception as the most restorative sense in today’s overstimulated world.
In keeping with this philosophy, the entrance to the museum is deliberately nontraditional—visitors must descend to the second basement floor, giving them time to adjust from the urban hustle to the contemplative stillness within.
This journey through the building encourages a moment of sensory recalibration, helping guests prepare to "truly listen."
Exhibitions and Experiences: A Journey Through Sound
Audeum offers far more than a static display of artifacts.
Its permanent exhibition, titled “Jeongeum: The Journey of Sound”, explores sound as a cultural and emotional phenomenon.
Visitors can trace the evolution of audio equipment, including rare devices like Western Electric loudspeakers, vintage gramophones, and historical reel-to-reel players.
One of the most distinctive features of Audeum is its collection of rare LPs and CDs, totaling nearly 110,000 items.
These are housed in listening lounges that resemble high-end concert halls, where music flows from century-old audio systems, creating an unparalleled acoustic experience.
A special section is dedicated to The Beatles, featuring LPs beloved by novelist Haruki Murakami.
The museum also hosts interactive lecture programs such as “Mirrorphonic,” which combines guided listening with music history and theory.
This unique program invites attendees to appreciate classical masterpieces, jazz greats, and hidden gems played on vintage sound systems—connecting past and present through the shared language of music.
As of May 2025, Audeum has welcomed over 17,000 visitors, reflecting its growing recognition as a cultural landmark and a place for introspective artistic exploration.
Global Recognition, Local Pride
Audeum’s recognition by the Prix Versailles affirms its global architectural and cultural significance.
Jerome Gouadain, Secretary General of the Prix Versailles, commented on this year’s museum awardees, stating: “These new museum buildings offer breathtaking achievements. They provide visitors with unique experiences that open their hearts and minds to both inner and outer worlds.”
As Audeum now stands among the world’s most beautifully designed museums, South Korea can take pride in this exceptional contribution to global architecture, sound culture, and museum innovation.
The final winners of the Interior and Exterior Special Prizes, along with the Prix Versailles Grand Prize, will be announced in December 2025 by UNESCO.
Audeum invites all who enter not just to see or to hear—but to feel the story of sound.
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