National Maritime Heritage Institute Renovates Taean National Maritime Relics Exhibition Hall… Highlighting Korea’s Maritime Heritage

The National Maritime Heritage Research Institute under the Korea Heritage Service will reopen the second permanent exhibition hall and the underwater excavation virtual reality (VR) experience space at the Taean National Maritime Relics Exhibition Hall (Taean County, Chungcheongnam-do) on the 9th, newly transformed into visitor-centered service spaces.

The core of the renovation in the second permanent exhibition hall is the creation of a “Treasure Zone.” An independent central space has been established to display five nationally designated cultural heritage treasures, including the “Celadon Incense Burner Shaped Like a Lion” and the “Celadon Maebyeong with Lotus Stem Design,” along with videos that highlight the characteristics and beauty of the relics.

Earthenware jar, bamboo tally, and crustaceans recovered from Mado Ship No. 1. Photo by National Heritage Administration.

New content has also been created using existing exhibition items. Visitors can closely examine various ceramic patterns (such as kettles and flower pots) discovered from the Taean and Mado shipwrecks through detailed digital imagery. Additionally, the content of wooden tablets (mokgan) and bamboo tallies (jukchal) recovered from Mado Shipwrecks No. 1 and 3 has been expressed through line drawing to enhance information delivery.

Along the wall connecting the second permanent exhibition hall to the third and fourth halls, five large screens display a panoramic video that transforms patterns found on the museum’s artifacts—such as the “Celadon Dish with Parrot Design” and the “Celadon Bowl with Cloud and Crane Design”—into moving visual artworks featuring parrots, cranes, willows, and more.

The “Underwater Excavation Virtual Reality (VR) Experience,” which allows visitors to explore maritime heritage beneath the sea, has expanded its content. Newly introduced interactive games include one in which visitors acquire maritime heritage within a time limit and a simulation game in which users navigate Mado Ship No. 1 to its destination while avoiding reefs and typhoons. A play area for infants and toddlers has also been created, featuring experience facilities such as the “Cuttlefish Slide” and the “Treasure Collection Fishing” activity.

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