Inside K-Heritage House, where centuries of heritage meet digital storytelling

BUSAN — K-Heritage House, the official exhibition space of the host nation for the 48th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, opened Monday at Bexco in Busan, bringing together the country’s World Heritage sites, living traditions and cutting-edge digital technology in a sprawling exhibition the size of roughly two soccer fields.

A few steps inside, visitors can move from prehistoric rock carvings to royal rituals, then on to traditional music and demonstrations by master artisans. Children pause to wave at holographic figures while others linger in front of towering digital projections, moving from one installation to the next.

Organized by the Korea Heritage Service, the space features exhibitions, performances and interactive programs by 35 institutions, welcoming visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through July 29.

The journey begins at K-Heritage Pavilion, titled “A Story in Every Step,” where visitors are immersed in Korea’s landscapes and history through projection mapping, holograms, spatial audio and media art.

The exhibition transforms the Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream, a UNESCO World Heritage site, into animated digital imagery. In the next room, recordings of Namdo folk songs echo through the space, while installations inspired by ancient royal tombs and the melodies of the gayageum, a traditional Korean zither, guide visitors from one section to the next.

In the morning, visitors formed “open-run” crowds, lining up before the doors opened to receive a Korean Heritage Passport, part of the Korea Heritage Visit Campaign. Families with young children, some still wearing their kindergarten backpacks, were among those waiting in line.

In the adjacent exhibition, “Timeless Time,” traditional roof tiles are reimagined as a kinetic artwork inspired by the rhythm and flow of Korean architecture. “Uigwe,” the royal protocols documenting state ceremonies and rituals of the Joseon Dynasty, are brought to life through 3D media art, while natural World Heritage sites such as Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes are showcased on a towering LED media pillar and surrounding four-sided projections.

Beyond the digital installations, visitors can wander through booths hosted by individual World Heritage sites and cultural organizations.

For example, at the Haeinsa Temple booth, Buddhist monks demonstrate how the wooden printing blocks of the Tripitaka Koreana are carved and how traditional woodblock printing is carried out. Visitors gathered around the worktable, watching quietly as each stroke of the carving knife gradually reveals the characters.

Among the highlights is “Living Heritage × ICH,” where officially designated holders of Korea’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage demonstrate traditional craftsmanship throughout the day.

Artisans specializing in embroidery, needlework, horsehair hat making, mother-of-pearl inlay, bow and arrow making and other traditional crafts patiently complete their work stitch by stitch, allowing visitors to observe techniques that have been handed down through generations.

The demonstrations are held four times daily — at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. — with each lasting about 90 minutes.

Many of the programs also include hands-on workshops, giving visitors the opportunity not only to watch Korea’s living heritage but also to experience it firsthand.