The Republic of Korea Pavilion is one of the self-built the country pavilions participating in Expo 2020 Dubai. The first-ever registered expo in the Middle East and Africa region, Expo 2020 Dubai is joined by 191 countries and will be held for six months from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The Korea Pavilion is located in the Mobility District, showcasing Korea’s unique culture, innovative technologies, and a vision of the future.
The Pavilion will present architecture, exhibition and performance demonstrating its theme, ‘Smart Korea, Moving the World to you.’ The Pavilion expresses Korea’s commitment to leading humanity to a better future, as well as the transformation and significance that mobility will bring to the future society with its unlimited potential.
Architecture : Mobile Mass_ity
The Pavilion’s architecture embodies artistic and engineering exquisiteness and perfection. 1,597 spin cubes cover the facade and demonstrate Korea and its dynamic mobility under the banner of Mobile Mass_ity, the architectural concept integrating Mass and City. Bold ramps cross the inside and outside of the Pavilion and combined with the open space, provide a view of the Expo site. The Pavilion was designed by Mooyuki Architects (Hoon MOON, Seong Bong YUN and Dong Gyu KIM) and built by Ssangyong Engineering and Construction.
Exhibition: The Journey of Wonder
The Korea Pavilion offers a smart experience that bridges the past, present and future where the virtual realm meets reality. Visitors receive a mobile device at reception and start their journey with a virtual twin generated on the device using face recognition technology.
Following the ramp to the third floor, visitors come upon Flap Vision, inspired by split-flap displays of departure/arrival at the train station or airport. Flap Vision tells the story of how mobility evolved from analog to digital. In the digital era, when the boundary between analog and digital is vague, the advancement in technology connects people to people. The mechanical sound of the physical device facilitates sensory communications with visitors.
A mobile AR experience is created on the external ramps. Visitors may use their mobile devices received at the reception to experience a virtual city built on smart infrastructure technologies. It will be an excellent opportunity to experience how Korea’s innovative smart technologies will change life for the better.
Next, Vertical Cinema will take you on a virtual trip to experience Korea’s Smart Mobility, K-Culture, and lifestyle. The mega screen, which wraps the space vertically, and comfortable beanbags will help you to immerse yourself into the virtual journey to Korea.
Visitors who return their mobile devices and come out to Madang (courtyard) will encounter a kinetic sculpture hanging in the air. Forty screens make occasional movement-like waves, exhibiting how people, nature, and technologies mingle and connect with one another; sometimes slowly, sometimes dynamically with performance. Innocean Worldwide designed the visitor journey of the exhibition.
Performance : Massive Vibe
The Korea Pavilion will have 1,800 performances during 6months. There will be ten performances every day at the Madang (courtyard). The shows feature K-pop, B-boying and Korean traditional performances to create an exciting party mood. The ‘Mobile column’ equipped with an autonomous driving system and motion sensors will seamlessly join performers in the show. It will be entertainment as never seen before. CJ ENM prepared performance.
Korean Tour and Traditional Culture Opportunity
The Korea tour experience zone and Korean traditional culture exhibition are set up on the ground and the first floor by the Korea Tourism Organization and Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.
The Korea Tourism Organization provides various information for those who want to visit Korea to experience Korea’s charm, taste, and landmarks. Visitors can take part in an AR experience and make Korean traditional crafts, meet advanced medical technologies in Korea, and be introduced to Busan, the city that is preparing for World Expo 2030.
The Korean Cultural Heritage foundation will present the media art on the first floor as part of a cultural heritage visit campaign collaborating with artists under the theme of “Cultural Heritage and Four seasons”. In the booth, you can see a total of 3 media arts and through the AR filters, you will get an experience as you were directly visiting the cultural heritage in Korea.
Restaurant and Souvenir Shop
Visitors may enjoy healthy and tasty Korean food at the Korean restaurant on the second floor. Sonamu Restaurant of Asiana Hotel Dubai serves traditional dishes like Bulgogi (marinated beef), and Bibimbap (rice with assorted vegetables) as well as more contemporary dishes like Buldak noodle (spicy stir-fried noodle). Visitors may appreciate Korean culture through Korean food. It is also a good spot for those who want coffee and little snacks.
The first floor’s souvenir shop by Korail Retail carries 300 items of many and various Korean products, including Korean traditional art crafts, groceries, and innovative products. Visitors can find little souvenirs all the way up to household goods.
Event : Korea National Day and Korea Week
There will be a variety of events on the Korea National Day (16 January 2022) and the following five days of Korea Week. On Korea National Day, the official National Day event will be held at Al Wasl Plaza, followed by a VIP tour of the Korea Pavilion. The evening banquet will be co-hosted with the bid planning office for World Expo 2030 Busan. The day’s final event will be an outdoor concert at Jubilee Park, where global K-pop artists will perform.
Special exhibitions and cultural events will be arranged during Korea Week. The Korea Innovative Tech Fair introducing Korea’s innovative industrial technologies and Korea Travel Fair will be held at DEC North Hall (1B) for three days from Korea National Day. There will be special performances at the Dubai Expo’s outdoor performance theater, Sea Stage, throughout Korea Week.
Ambassador
Korea Pavilion appointed a global K-pop star, Stray Kids, as the Pavilion ambassador. Stray Kids have 34 million followers on social media. They are the winner of Kingdom which was broadcasted in April through M-net in Korea, a boy group competition, positioning themselves as next-generation Hallyu stars.
Supporters
46 Korean supporters and 4 Emirati supporters will welcome visitors. Supporters are divided into three groups: first one is Greeter who will meet and assist the guest at the first time and a second is Curator who will explain the exhibition contents, and third is a Host who will be managed of a K-concierge event.
Host and Organizer
The Korea Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea (MOTIE) and organized by Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). KOTRA is a state-funded agency under MOTIE, supporting Korean companies venturing into overseas markets and takes part in international events such as Expos as the representative of Korea.
Sponsor
6 government organizations, 12 public institutions and provincial governments, and 18 companies from Korea sponsor the Korea Pavilion’s successful operations in various forms.
Partners
The Korea Pavilion collaborates with the best partners for architecture, exhibition, operation, and event performance. Together with them, the Pavilion is ready to provide visitors a safe and fun experience.
Reference Links
- Official website: https://koreapavilion2020.kr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koreapavilion2020
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koreapavilion2020/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dubaiexpo_korea