Visitors to the Government 3.0 Fair & Global Forum 2016 enjoy the royal Joseon tombs through VR on Nov. 9. The fair is held at the BEXCO convention center in Busan.
The royal Joseon tombs, the Manwoldae (만월대, 滿月臺) royal Goryeo palaces: all of these historical cultural heritage sites can now be toured in virtual reality (VR).
At the Government 3.0 Fair & Global Forum 2016, the government’s Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) welcomed visitors to its booth that showcased some of the newest VR experiences of heritage sites in Korea.
The fair took place at the BEXCO convention center in Busan from Nov. 9 to 12. Thanks to VR, visitors to the CHA booth were able to take a closer look at some of historical cultural heritage sites and learn more about them, sites to which most people most of the time have only limited access. The VR experiences are provided in Korean, English, Mandarin and Japanese.
The first site to be recreated in VR was the royal Joseon tombs. The royal Joseon tombs were registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2009, as UNESCO highly values the tombs’ well-preserved original shapes, despite the ups and downs of history, and praised the tombs’ significance in terms of the traditions of humankind.
Most royal tombs are strictly managed, allowing visitors to only walk around them from some distance. Thanks to VR, however, people can now take a closer look at the tombs and their immediate surroundings. The photo shows the Geonwonneung, the grave of Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye, in Guri-si City, Gyeonggi-do Province.
Visitors to the CHA booth enjoyed exploring the Geonwonneung (건원릉, 健元陵), the grave of Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye (이성계, 李成桂) (1335-1408), while wearing a head-mounted display unit that featured VR image display technology. Thanks to real-time video footage in 360 degrees, the goggles allowed people to experience the site as if they were actually walking around the tomb on foot. The goggles also enabled people to learn more about the Jeongneung (정릉, 靖陵), the tomb of the 11th king of Joseon, Jungjong (중종, 中宗) (1488-1544), and the Yungneung (융릉, 隆陵), the tomb where Crown Prince Sado (사도세자, 思悼世子) (1735-1762) and Lady Hyegyeong (혜경궁, 惠慶宮) (1735-1816), the parents of the 22nd Joseon monarch, King Jeongjo (정조, 正祖) (1752-1800), were buried. Crown Prince Sado is also known by his posthumous title Jangjo (장조, 莊祖) and Lady Hyegyeong is also known as Queen Hyeongyeong (현경왕후, 獻敬王后).
Visitors to the fair explore the Manwaoldae excavation site through VR, in Busan on Nov. 9.
The Manwoldae royal palace excavation site in the North Korean city of Gaeseong was another eye-catching item at the CHA booth. Both North and South Korean scholars have been working together to find the remains of the Goryeo royal palace since joint research began in 2007.
Through to the joint project, they have so far unearthed about 10,000 historical items and the placement of the palace buildings. Due to its location, however, ordinary people cannot have access to the area.
VR gives people the chance to look at the findings first-hand, such as pieces of porcelain and maksae (막새), a type of decorative roof tile that was placed at the end of the eaves of royal Goryeo palaces, making them feel as if they were actually at the excavation site.
The cultural heritage authorities said in a press statement that in the future it will work hard to develop and support various VR content concerning cultural assets so that everyone can learn more about them and fully enjoy them.
The palace remains at Manwoldae are from Goryeo times (918-1392). They were unearthed in 2008 as part of inter-Korean joint excavations.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Cultural Heritage Administration, Korea Tourism Organization
arete@korea.kr
