Opening on the 22nd, A Welcoming Greeting and Playground Offered by Korea
Immersive Experience Korean Tourism Promotion Center 'Hiker Ground' Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The immersive experience promotional center 'HiKR Ground,' which actively promotes tourism in Korea to the younger generation, is set to open.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 20th that, in collaboration with the Korea Tourism Organization, it will open the immersive Korean tourism promotional center 'HiKR Ground' at the Korea Tourism Organization Seoul Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 22nd, aiming to captivate tourists from around the world, especially the youth.
'HiKR Ground' is a compound word combining 'HiKR,' meaning a warm greeting from Korea (KR) to tourists worldwide, and 'Ground,' meaning playground. It signifies a space that warmly welcomes visitors and allows them to freely enjoy themselves.
The Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization have revamped the existing tourism promotional center 'K-Style Hub' over the past year to introduce 'HiKR.' The space is designed primarily around immersive experience content so that young tourists can dynamically experience the charms of Korean tourism, including Hallyu and festivals.
On the first floor, a large media wall called the 'HiKR Wall' has been installed. It features 'New City Landscape Paintings' created by artist Lee Inam, themed around five major tourism hub cities such as Gangneung and Mokpo, along with various Korean tourism and Hallyu-related video content. It is expected that passersby viewing the videos from outside on the first floor will naturally be drawn inside out of curiosity.
The second floor houses the 'K-Pop Ground,' where visitors can directly experience and create Hallyu content using extended reality (XR) technology. The 'My Studio,' where visitors can plan and shoot their own music videos, is anticipated to be very popular.
The third floor features the 'HiKR Art Museum.' Here, the Korea Tourism Organization will hold special exhibitions where leading Korean artists reinterpret representative Korean tourism content. The first artist is Kwon Oh-sang, who will exhibit various works themed around five major regional festivals in Korea. The exhibition experience space 'Dramatic Trip' allows visitors to experience domestic tourist sites featured in Hallyu video content.
The fourth floor offers a domestic tourism multi-experience center where visitors can vividly experience regional tourism content on various themes. The 'Festival Experience Center' allows visitors to feel the charm of Korea’s representative regional festivals, starting with the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival. The 'HiKR Cave' provides a sensory experience of tourism hub cities and wellness tourism through video, sound, lighting, and scent.
The fifth floor’s 'HiKR Lounge' offers tourism information services and a resting space in four languages: Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. There is also a terrace overlooking Cheonggyecheon, making it a key space for visitor interaction and communication.
The Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization will hold an opening ceremony at the 'HiKR Lounge' on the 22nd. From that day until the 28th, various events and performances will be held for visitors.
A Ministry official said, "'HiKR' is not only a tourism promotional center but also a new-concept tourist attraction itself," adding, "We will continue to develop it into a must-visit destination for tourists visiting Korea by collaborating with local governments, the arts community, and the private sector."
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