During the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, the city of Milan hosted the countries participating in the competitions, including Korea, in a some of specially prepared buildings. Korea is housed in the splendid Villa Necchi Campiglio, an elegant historic building with a beautiful garden in the centre of Milan, which for the occasion has been transformed into Korea House, a space dedicated to Korean culture and sport. This space is open to visitors from 5 to 22 February 2026, subject to booking, and allows families, fans, Olympic staff and athletes to try some Korean products and find out more about Korea. Korea House is also the headquarters of the Korean Olympic and Sports Committee (KSOC) during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Korea House aims to give a small taste of life in Korea through travel, food, entertainment and beauty experiences. In the space dedicated to K-travel, visitors could discover some destinations and, by filling out a Travel style test by Image your Korea, find out which of Korea's cities was closest to their personality and tastes. In addition, it was possible to win some cute prizes in a draw, as a tangible Korean souvenir of this experience.
K-food was represented by the global brand Bibigo, which has defined modern Korean cuisine by bringing new trends to Milan directly from Seoul. Furthermore, by following Bibigo global on Instagram, it was possible to receive a cup of ramyun. It is a perfect opportunity to taste authentic flavours and learn more about a Korean culinary tradition that is increasingly loved around the world.
K-Entertainment offered visitors the chance to discover Korea through K-dramas, music, films, variety shows and animation, thanks to videos and information provided by the Korean staff at the stand.
In the area dedicated to K-beauty, visitors could enjoy three different experiences: discovering scents inspired by different regions of Korea, trying traditional Korean hand acupressure and testing new lipsticks distributed by the famous Korean beauty shop Olive Young.
Korea House also organised group cheering sessions to watch the competitions together on a big screen, to get into the Olympic spirit and support the Korean athletes.
In the villa's garden area, visitors could sample some traditional Korean foods: kimbap, tteokbokki and spicy fried chicken prepared on the spot and explained by the Korean staff.
Games play an important role in Korean culture: they are part of traditions, especially on holidays such as Seollal or Chuseok. At Korea House, visitors could try out some Korean games suitable for all ages, getting into the spirit of Korean celebrations and life. Visitors could also enjoy another unique experience: taking a photo in hanbok alongside the uniforms and “Team Korea” setting for the Winter Olympics.
Personally, I found cute and wonderful the space dedicated to the merchandise produced for the National Museum of Korea by its official Foundation has “MU:DS” a portmanteau of “museum” and “goods.” Here, visitors could purchase items inspired by Korean cultural traditions and see other very special objects. In fact, there were exhibits of the famous and precious Korean white porcellan collection, celadon collection, motherpearl norigae, miniature of the Great Gilt-Bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, pensive Bodhisattva miniature, as well as more modern items such as pens and phone cases inspired by traditional designs. A small area was also dedicated to some Team Korea gadgets, including hats and bags and a photo of the singer Sunghoon, a member of the kpop band ENHYPEN who visited the stand during the games and appreciated and recommended the Korean team's products.
Korea House is a very significant place for those who want to learn about Korea in its most modern but also traditional aspects. It is a place where new trends meet tradition, presenting Korea as a country rich in experiences to be enjoyed according to one's interests, but also in culture, history and nature: attentive to the past but projected into the future. It was interesting to see many people from families with children to the elderly enjoying themselves, asking for information and tasting Korean food during my visit to Korea House. Seeing their satisfied and happy faces after the visit made me realise how Korea is a country that has a lot to offer and fascinates with its modernity and tradition.
Info and photo credits:
Korea House
MU:DS National Museum Goods
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