Hello, everyone. This is your DMZ Live audio curator, Snengsaengi DMZ stands for the (Korean) Demilitarized Zone. The DMZ is an area where South and North Korea agreed not to deploy military forces 2 km from each Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which was mutually decided upon during the armistice negotiations of the Korean War. As a result of the area being restricted to civilian access for over 70 years, the DMZ has been preserved, and the scars of war have healed naturally. The DMZ has now become the repository for the ecosystem of the Korean Peninsula. It has a total area of 903.3 km2, accounting for 0.41% of the entire Korean Peninsula, or is a similar area to about half the size of Jeju Island, and is home to 101 out of 267 endangered species (38% of the total endangered species) and the estimated total species is about 6,000. However, considering the challenges of conducting an ecological examination in the DMZ, the actual number of species is believed to be higher than what is known. Despite being considered a beautiful ecological site, the DMZ is viewed as a symbol of division associated with the dark history of war or a place we cannot visit. People think of it as a terrifying and dangerous place before anything else. Although we might think of it as a “place where we cannot visit” or “a place where no one can visit,” the DMZ would be a magical and meaningful place for us if we thought of it as a “place that will become our lives’ foundation.” The DMZ holds value as a carefully preserved pristine environment supporting diverse flora and fauna. It also carries a symbolic meaning that reminds us of the division between the South and the North. Although it is currently not freely accessible to the public, I hope you can experience the DMZ more closely and vividly through various virtual experiences and realistic media experiences at the DMZ Live Immersive Media Center.

Hello. DMZ Live is located at the Korean Peninsula Ecological Peace Tourism Information Center in Imjingak, Paju. Here, you can get a closer and more vivid experience of the DMZ. It is designed to provide visitors with enjoyable and meaningful experiences with the theme “various values, such as historical, symbolic, and ecological significance” through realistic media content. In the experience space, visitors can engage in physical activities and digital experiences designed to deliver DMZ-related content and other information, as well as video experiences integrated with simulators and virtual reality (VR) devices, digital interactive experiences, and more. The first floor consists of six experiential zones: “Drone Rider” and “Shuttle Rider” for an indirect immersive experience of the DMZ and main tourist attractions by using cutting-edge information and communication technology (ICT), and “DMZ 248km,” “DMZ Four Seasons,” DMZ Coloring Zoo,” and “DMZ Secret Forest,” which are focused on the DMZ’s ecological environment. On the second floor is DMZ Live Media Hall, where various media art centered around the large, 24-m L-shaped media wall are found.

“Shuttle Rider” is designed to provide information and guidance about the DMZ by traveling around major tourist attractions while riding on a futuristic shuttle. While enjoying videos on a moving futuristic shuttle, visitors can watch a tour of the peaceful DMZ. This also conveys the wishes for the Korean Peninsula’s reunification to the audience. “Shuttle Rider” offers different content per day, providing visitors with various delightful experiences. ① The video of a transcontinental train journey from the Gwanghwamun Gate to Paris on a futuristic train is scheduled every Tuesday and Wednesday. ② The virtual video showcasing the Korean Peninsula and the opening of the Trans-Korean Railway, seen from the universe, is scheduled every Thursday and Friday. ③ Videos exploring historical relics related to the DMZ’s history are scheduled on Saturdays. ④ Videos introducing tourist attractions in adjacent areas of the DMZ and providing a preview of the places are scheduled on Sundays or public holidays. Children below 110 cm are not allowed to ride for safety reasons. Safety is our top priority, and we kindly ask for your understanding.

“Drone Rider” allows viewers to experience as if they are flying across the entire Korean Peninsula by integrating a high-definition, live-action video with simulators and VR devices. Once the viewer wears the VR device inside the ride, the simulator synchronizes with the video in up-down and right-left motions, adding a sense of immersion. Each content is approximately 5 minutes and 10 seconds long, and viewers may choose to watch one of the four themed videos. ① World Cultural Heritage: A video showcasing Korea’s tourist attractions designated as World Heritage sites, such as the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon or Hahoe Folk Village, Namhansanseong Fortress, Beopjusa Temple, Magoksa Temple, Sosuseowon Confucian Academy, Dosanseowon Confucian Academy. ② Baekdudaegan Mountain Range: An introduction video of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, including the Jirisan or Seoraksan Mountains. ③ Baengnyeongdo Island: An introduction video of the major tourist attractions of Baengnyeongdo Island, a UNESCO World Heritage. ④ DMZ off-road: Videos featuring virtual traveling in the DMZ border area in a vehicle, showcasing the ecological environment and more. Children below 110 cm are not allowed to ride for safety reasons. Safety is our top priority, and we kindly ask for your understanding.

“DMZ Secret Forest” is a photo zone of the secret and tranquil night landscape of the DMZ seen inside a rusted iron helmet. When you touch the handprints of the iron helmet in the middle, a beautiful and mysterious scenery unfolds, showcasing war ruins now home to various animals and plants. You can have an immersive experience of walking into a place inside the cozy and peaceful DMZ. The central space is named “DMZ Four Seasons,” where you can feel as if you are sitting on top of a beautiful pond with its colorful and open space. When you sit on the pebble-shaped chair in the center, sensors will be activated, and you will be greeted by marvelous and refreshing nature with flowers, butterflies, grass, frogs, and more. Through the screen on the opposite side, you can see DMZ’s four beautiful seasons, including flowers, autumn leaves, snow, and more, while experiencing the interactive effects of butterflies fluttering around your reflection on the screen.

“DMZ Coloring Zoo” is a “live sketch” space with content where you can choose and uniquely color the drawings of nine endangered animals in the DMZ. After scanning the animals you have colored, they come to life on the screen, interacting with each other and playing in the forest. They also respond when you touch the screen. “DMZ 248km” is an ecological experience in the 248-km–long DMZ, which crosses east to west of the Korean Peninsula. It is a play-type interactive content where you choose from the DMZ regions and quickly touch the screen to find animals that inhabit each region. Once you clear the game by finding all the animals hidden in the video, such as spotted seals, black-faced spoonbills, white-naped cranes, Asiatic black bears, long-tailed gorals, and more, you may take commemorative photos with these adorable animals.

The media hall on the second floor shows media art on a large, 24-m L-shaped screen with various themes, such as the history of the DMZ, natural ecology, tourism resources, and more. ① The Forest of Hope: Interactive content where an audience’s touch triggers a response. It shows light from the sky to the DMZ and illuminates the path. The images of South and North Korea coexisting on the Korean Peninsula are projected onto the sun and moon, and the scattered beams on the ground represent the DMZ’s lookout posts and barbed wire fences, symbolizing the history of interaction between South and North Korea. The light beams created by the sun and moon flow under the Peace Tree, a symbol of peace and prosperity, and reach people’s feet as they represent “connectedness as one.” ② THE WALL: It is a viewing content–show, a fusion of cinema and writing. The sun and the moon, whose coexistence is difficult to witness, meet and open up a fantastic world that expresses the emotions of war and healing through color, abstract graphics, and writing. The content is designed to heighten the audience’s immersive experience with a direction that shows grandeur, beauty, and tension at the same time. ③ Dream of the Train: This media art captures the tense and tragic moment of the train destruction on December 31, 1950, while the Korean army was retreating, by freezing the scene and using stopped camera movements. The audience can experience a condensed story encompassing war, armistice, recovery, and healing. The content naturally guides the audience to learn about the Cheolma (train) and the Peace Tree, landmarks in Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park, representing the story’s outcome. ④ DMZ and East Sea: The Hwajinpohaebyeon Beach, located at the northernmost tip of Korea’s eastern coast, is shown through the video, and the seascape is captured in stunning detail by a 12K panoramic camera and an 8K drone, bringing a vibrant scenery of the sea to the screen. ⑤ DMZ Fantasia: You can witness the breathtaking harmony of animals and plants inhabiting the DMZ, a land that dreams of hope and peace. The DMZ’s natural beauty that we could only dream of comes to life in a splendor that changes and harmonizes with the flow of four seasons, as it conveys the value of connection, coexistence, peace, and harmony. ⑥ DMZ Odysseia: You can witness the DMZ, a place filled with the pain of the Korean War that we should never forget, through the Korean calligraphy artworks of Kim So-Young. We invite you to experience media art’s vivid and dazzling beauty at DMZ Live.