Cheil Worldwide, Seoul Bring History to Life With the Help of Augmented Reality

Cheil Worldwide virtually restored the Joseon Dynasty's royal court ceremony held in Gyeongbokgung Palace 136 years ago in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and woomihope.org. The virtual reenactment is aimed at raising public interest in Korea’s cultural heritage as people can experience the large-scale ritual event anywhere anytime with their smartphones, unlike in the past when such ceremony was rarely reenacted in real life.

The actual event took place originally on 13 January 1887 when the king, the royal family, and officials gathered to celebrate the eightieth birthday of the Grand Queen Dowager and to wish for the nation’s peace and prosperity. The event’s virtual reenactment project titled "1887 Gyeongbokgung Palace Royal Court Ceremony," recreates the event right on its original site Geunjeongjeon, the Imperial Throne Hall at Gyeongbokgung, through augmented reality. 

The findings from comprehensive research on the Joseon Dynasty's Daily Records of Royal Secretariat and the Royal Protocols that are UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme were used as a basis for the reenactment, while consultation with scholars and experts improved its perfection.

By launching the designated mobile application "Heritage Metaverse Coexistence", visitors of Gyeongbokgung Palace can experience the royal court ceremony that took place 136 years ago. Over 300 characters, ceremonial costumes, and objects of Joseon Dynasty's royal court make an appearance in augmented reality.

Among its many features, users can tap on the virtual characters to make them move or speak and even take a photo with them. Moreover, users can play a treasure hunt to find treasures of the Joseon Dynasty that are in the palace, or virtually try out ceremonial costumes by creating their own AI profile that uses AI technology to compose a user’s face with the characters in the virtual world.

The application also offers a metaverse experience where users can build their avatar to explore the ritual event without actually having to visit the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Those who visit Gyeongbokgung Palace without the app may also take a close look into the royal court ceremony and learn more about the special event by using the digital signboard installed in the gatehouse of Geunjeongjeon.

This is the third project that the four public and private organisations collaborated on for the digital restoration and reenactment of the Joseon Dynasty's cultural heritage following the successful restoration of the Donuimun Gate in 2019, and the weapons manufacturing facility 'Gungisi' this February. All three restored cultural heritages are accessible through the app.

On November 24th, Cheil Worldwide was honored with a commendation from the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea awarded to outstanding companies who made social contributions through protecting cultural properties.