Seodaemun-gu Dokdo Experience Center in Seoul Relocates and Expands to Yeongdeungpo Times Square

Northeast Asian History Foundation - Yeongdeungpo-gu, Expansion and Relocation Agreement
Yeongdeungpo-gu Provides Site Free of Charge... Designed as an Interactive Experience Space

Dokdo Experience Center interior media wall (left) and exterior media wall (right)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Dokdo Experience Center located in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, will be relocated and expanded to Times Square in Yeongdeungpo-gu.

On the 19th, the Northeast Asian History Foundation and Yeongdeungpo-gu will sign a business agreement for the expansion and relocation of the Dokdo Experience Center. Yeongdeungpo-gu will provide the Northeast Asian History Foundation's Dokdo Experience Center relocation site (1,310㎡) free of charge within the public cultural welfare space planned to be created in Times Square.

Since its opening in 2012, the Northeast Asian History Foundation's Dokdo Experience Center has welcomed over 300,000 domestic and international visitors. Although various Dokdo experience programs for children and students have been developed and operated, there have been calls for improvement due to the limited exhibition space and the burden of rental fees.

Yeongdeungpo-gu proposed free use of the site, and the Ministry of Education and the Northeast Asian History Foundation secured 4 billion KRW in national funds this year to promote the expansion and relocation of the Dokdo Experience Center. With a larger space and improved accessibility, it will be possible to provide higher-quality Dokdo education. The Northeast Asian History Foundation is an institution funded by the Ministry of Education and cannot operate national facilities, so the Dokdo Experience Center will not be operated as a national facility.

Responsive content inside Dokdo Experience Center (left) and immersive video content (right)

The Northeast Asian History Foundation plans to create a participatory experience space by equipping various experience-centered facilities incorporating advanced multimedia technology, moving away from observation-focused Dokdo education to meet the changing educational environment. The center will consist of a digital video hall, history hall, digital library, future hall, Dokdo model hall, and nature hall.

A media wall will be installed in the entrance lobby to display Dokdo videos, and video content titled "The Road to Dokdo" along with responsive Dokdo learning content will be developed. In the digital video hall, visitors can experience Dokdo's natural scenery and resources through immersive videos, and the history hall will exhibit materials proving Dokdo's territorial rights. The digital library will allow access to information and materials related to Dokdo, and the future hall will offer game-type content to experience Dokdo's natural ecology and marine resources.

The Northeast Asian History Foundation plans to hold a temporary opening of the expanded and relocated Dokdo Experience Center in August, followed by an official opening in October. A public participation group will be formed to gather opinions, and companies for detailed design and content development will be selected next month, aiming to start construction in June. The currently operating Dokdo Experience Center in Seodaemun-gu will continue to operate until the official opening of the expansion and relocation project in October.