Ulsan City to Illuminate Taehwagang Station Plaza with "Media Facade"

Media Facade to Be Installed at Taehwagang Station Plaza
Ulsan City Aims to Create a Digital Cultural Hub and New Urban Image
Synergy Expected with the 2028 International Garden Expo and Major Transportation Projects

Ulsan City will install a media facade at Taehwagang Station Plaza as part of its efforts to provide new attractions and maximize public relations for municipal administration.

Ulsan City announced that, after comprehensively considering the 2028 International Garden Expo, the opening of the tram, and the launch of the KTX (Korea Train Express), it has decided to install an exterior wall video display (media facade) at Taehwagang Station Plaza, the city’s main gateway.

Accordingly, the area around Taehwagang Station will be transformed into a digital cultural space where citizens can enjoy immersive media art in their daily lives, with the establishment of a media art platform utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and anamorphic displays.

This project, titled "Open Ulsan Created Digitally, Media Facade," aims to create a new urban image unique to Ulsan by combining the city’s identity with culture and the arts.

To advance the project, Ulsan City visited major domestic cities operating media facades-including Seoul, Incheon, Gwangju, and Busan-in the first half of this year to review installation locations and scale, assess content management strategies, and explore efficient implementation methods.

In March, the city selected a design firm through a public contest, and in May, it chose a content production company, thereby securing expertise and preparing to maximize the project’s effectiveness.

Additionally, after comprehensive review-through expert consultations and benchmarking case analyses-the installation site, a core aspect of the project, was ultimately finalized as Taehwagang Station Plaza.

Taehwagang Station Plaza, which is city-owned land, offers a wide and level space suitable for installations of various sizes and shapes. It is a key transportation hub where Samsan-ro (with 54,000 vehicles per day) and Saneop-ro (with 62,000 vehicles per day) intersect, and the number of Taehwagang Station users (12,000 per day) is steadily increasing, making its location highly favorable.

Furthermore, with the opening of KTX "Maeum" and "Eum" trains and the expansion of metropolitan railway lines, the number of users continues to rise. If KTX Sanjeon Station stops and tram connections are added in the future, demand for the media facade is expected to grow even further.

Most notably, the project is expected to generate synergy with the 2028 International Garden Expo, which is poised to become a world-renowned garden festival.

The expo is expected to attract participants from 31 countries worldwide. Ulsan City plans to use the media facade to showcase Ulsan’s industrial, cultural, and ecological assets as digital art to citizens and tourists visiting Taehwagang Station, and to provide expo information, thereby serving as a "digital ambassador."

During the expo, the media facade will serve as a stage for cultural and artistic performances, offering a variety of attractions. Afterward, it will be linked with other cultural infrastructure projects such as a park golf course and performance venues to create ongoing synergy.

Ulsan City plans to complete the ongoing design work within this year, begin construction in January next year, and finish by June. Planning for the direction, types, and scale of content production will also be completed within this year, followed by production and pilot operations in the first half of next year, with full-scale operation starting in July.

Additionally, Ulsan City will establish a content network with organizations operating media facades-including the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center, Ulsan Museum, Korea Creative Content Agency, and Gwangju Nam-gu Office-to secure diverse content and enhance budget efficiency, thereby establishing a sustainable operational system.

An official from Ulsan City stated, "In addition, we plan to develop the Samsan-ro area into a 'media art specialized street' in connection with Taehwagang Station Plaza, and promote AI-based media art education and competitions for young people, with the aim of making Ulsan a leading city in digital culture."