Metaverse company Naviworks announced on the 10th that it has installed a VR tank, helicopter experience zone, an experience room with AR technology, and a themed media art wall at the Freedom Guardian Peace Museum located in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Naviworks has been developing simulation software for defense training since the 2000s and has implemented a metaverse environment. Recently, it has been expanding its business area through collaboration with public institutions such as the military, police, and fire departments.

The Freedom Guardian Peace Museum opened on May 20, 2002 to widely publicize the activities of the 21 UN member countries that sacrificed themselves to protect the country and preserve freedom and peace during the Korean War and to exhibit related artifacts.

Museum officials said, “We are glad that we can deliver the pain of war and the message of peace to domestic visitors and generations of countries that participated in the war who did not directly experience the war through experiential content that breaks away from the existing static exhibition and viewing of relics, and by promoting it widely at home and abroad, we can revitalize the local economy and tourism industry in Dongducheon.”

The experience zone in the museum has turned five of the exhibits on the first and second floors into realistic content, including the ‘Tank Driving Experience’ where you board the K-1, a third-generation tank operated by the Republic of Korea Army, fire a gun and repel enemies, and the ‘VR 6-axis Motion Helicopter Experience’ where you deliver supplies to war refugees by helicopter.

In addition, you can experience the ‘Game-type Interactive Media Wall’ where you can see the images of refugees left behind after the war in motion video, the ‘Realistic Library: Stories of UN Participating Countries and the Armed Forces’ that unfolds with the touch of visitors, and the ‘Motion Recognition AR Content’ where visitors become birds symbolizing peace and open the door to peace.

Anyone visiting the museum can conveniently use the experience zone, and the tank and helicopter experiences can be boarded and experienced directly.

The project was carried out as part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's '2021 Public Museum and Art Gallery Realistic Content Production and Experience Zone Creation Project' in 2021, with Dongducheon Freedom Protection Museum selected through a public contest and securing an additional 300 million won in national funds.

A Naviworks official said, "Through the creation of this experience zone, we will not only provide visitors with a more realistic experience, but also contribute to revitalizing the local economy by attracting visitors."

Reporter Lee Sang-won of Electronic Times Internet sllep@etnews.com

* Original article: Naviworks, Freedom Guardian Peace Museum Metaverse Experience Zone Creation - Electronic Times (etnews.com)