Media Art Exhibition and Experience Facility 'Wonder Park' Opened on April 29, Averaging Over 1,000 Visitors on Weekdays
1,500-Pyeong Scale Featuring 10 Themes Including Land, Sea, and Space with Interactive Media Art... Stunning Visuals
Active Experience Programs Utilizing Latest Media and IT Technologies Such as Augmented Reality (AR) Apps Also Available
"Even though it's a weekday, it's really great to come with my child and experience the video."
At around 2:30 PM on the 2nd, Mr. Kim, who visited the media art exhibition and experience facility ‘Wonder Park’ at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, said this.
Although it was a drizzly afternoon, Mr. Kim, who came with his child, was very pleased to see his child enjoying Wonder Park.
When the closed door of Wonder Park opens, a fantastic world unfolds. Next to visitors standing in the middle of the jungle, hippos pass by, and visitors experience swimming underwater with giant octopuses and fish. They also experience the illusion of being sucked into a black hole in space. All of this can be experienced at ‘Wonder Park,’ a new-concept media experience cultural space opening at Seoul Grand Park.
Wonder Park, a 1,500-pyeong (approximately 4,960 square meters) digital media theme space at Seoul Grand Park, is the very site. It was officially opened on April 29 after a pilot operation starting in early April.
Wonder Park was created in the comprehensive information center building at the entrance of Seoul Grand Park.
‘Wonder Park’ operates with the theme of ‘a happy Earth where animals, people, and ecosystems harmonize,’ covering 1,500 pyeong and consisting of 10 spaces in total. It expresses ecosystems of various Earth domains such as land, sea, desert, and caves through media, giving visitors the feeling of being inside nature like jungles and glaciers.
Following the flow of the route while enjoying media and play, visitors can naturally experience and learn about the diversity of ecosystems and the value of coexistence.
The most eye-catching is the signature space ‘The Great Forest,’ boasting overwhelming visuals where tigers, wolves, hippos, and various wild birds move as if real on the walls and floors. This space represents the land on Earth.
It realistically shows animals from different climates such as tropical, temperate, and cold zones, including jungles and waterfalls. Especially here, visitors can complete an animal encyclopedia by saving various animals to their smartphones through an augmented reality app.
‘Insect Land,’ where visitors see the world through the eyes of insects and learn about ecology, is also a highlight. Additionally, the ‘Ice Park,’ where visitors throw balls to eliminate air pollution and trash and save polar bears, is popular.
What differentiates Wonder Park from existing media exhibitions is that it is not just about watching but is an ‘interactive media art’ that senses and responds to visitors’ actions through sensors and cameras. Using the latest media and IT technologies such as augmented reality (AR) apps, it enables active experiences.
Wonder Park admission tickets are priced at 22,000 KRW for adults (middle school students and older) and 18,000 KRW for children (36 months to elementary school students). Infants under 36 months can enter free of charge with proof such as a medical insurance card or resident registration certificate.
A package allowing access to both Seoul Zoo and Wonder Park went on sale in May.
Additionally, the Grand Park decided to include Wonder Park in the ‘Companion Tour’ program held once a month for vulnerable groups such as low-income families and single-parent households, targeting tourism and cultural accessibility.
The ‘Companion Tour,’ a representative public welfare program of Seoul Grand Park conducted as part of ‘Walking Together with the Vulnerable,’ invites vulnerable groups to use Seoul Zoo, Seoul Land, Sky Lift, and other Seoul Grand Park facilities.
They added that after encountering various animals through media art and augmented reality (AR) apps at Wonder Park, visiting the largest Seoul Zoo to see live animals will increase interest and empathy for ecology and biodiversity conservation.
Mr. Noh Dae-in, manager of Wonder Park, said, "I feel rewarded when I see moms and dads who brought their children enjoying the media video experience."
Mr. Choi Hong-yeon, director of Seoul Grand Park, said, “With the opening of Wonder Park, Seoul Grand Park has become an ‘attractive’ park where you can meet both fantastic animals in media art and real animals. We will continue to establish Seoul Grand Park as an ‘attractive’ park and a ‘companion’ park where vulnerable tourism groups can also enjoy, making it a representative landmark of Seoul.”
Through the on-site experience that day, one could feel that the level of the domestic media video industry is quite advanced.
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