Yoon Dong-ju, Yoon Bong-gil to return via virtual reality

'Augmented Reality (AR)' and 'Virtual Reality (VR)' will bring back martyr Yoon Bong-gil (1908-1932) and poet Yoon Dong-ju (1917-1945) to life. The two famous figures in Korea’s history who struggled through the difficult life of their times.

An exhibition will be held to reunite the two famous historical figures people had only encountered through old photos and texts, thanks to the power of digital technology. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), together with the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation (KCHF) and the Daejeon Museum of Art, will be holding the digital cultural heritage experience exhibition titled “I – talk about Yoon Dong-ju, and Yoon Bong-gil” on Friday.

Martyr Yoon, whose martyrdom celebrated the 90th anniversary this year, will welcome the visitors at the exhibition just as he is still alive. He will be in his suit as in the old photo and with a warm smile, responding to people’s reactions. “We created martyr Yoon’s feature by leveraging AR and AI-based Deepfake and responsive screen,” the CHA explained.

While the restoration of Martyr Yoon will be felt like more of a reality, that of Yoon Dong-ju will be manifested in a younger version of him wearing a school uniform. The animated VR movie ‘Poet’s Room,’ which features the life of an unfortunate poet, will be unveiled for the first time in Korea at this exhibition. Visitors can experience the video with an HMD (Head Mounted Display) in a separate room.

In the 'Poet's Room,' the poet’s feelings and sentiment will be candidly described in words "Life is supposed to be difficult to live, but it is a shame that a poem is written so easily," Yoon says in the ‘A Poem Written Easily.’ In a small closet surrounded by books, while the poet agonies with his head buried in the desk, a reading sound of the poem he wrote so carefully flows out from the side of his back.

The VR movie, co-produced by the CHA and the KCFH and voiced-featured by actor Lee Sang-yoon, was officially invited to the immersive competition category of the 79th Venice International Film Festival held in September this year. Nine of the poet's most well-known works, including ‘A Poem Written Easily,’ are presented with commentaries. Relevant nationally registered cultural properties, such as 'Yoon Dong-ju's manuscript,’ are also introduced.

“The exhibition arena in Daejeon Creative Center of the Daejeon Museum of Art is a modern building designated as a nationally registered cultural property in 2004. It was used as a government office where an agricultural product inspection station was located in 1958.” The CHA explained, “The visitors will be able to enjoy the exhibition, feeling like they are on a time travel.” The exhibition will be held by Nov. 27, and admission is free.


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