INTERVIEWGoogle Arts and Culture brings DMZ to virtual life

• Published date: 28 February 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

Immersive online exhibit allows access to the world's last Cold War frontier

By Park Han-sol

The 250-km-long and 4-km-wide strip that has divided the two warring Koreas since the signing of the 1953 Armistice Agreement ? better known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) ? is a geographical paradox.

It has been designated as a buffer zone that is off-limits to both sides, yet it is one of the most heavily guarded areas in the world.

While the landscape, fortified by barbed-wire fences, armed border patrols and minefields, serves as glaring proof of the lasting political tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the lack of human activity in the area has allowed wildlife to flourish with virtually no interference, making it an ecosystem unlike any other.

The world's last Cold War frontier has also inspired a long line of contemporary artists, including heavyweights like Nam June Paik and Lee Bul, who attempted to reexamine the war-ravaged swathes of green as an open stage for cultural dialogue that could transcend the geopolitical boundaries of the 1950-53 Korean War.

A new interactive exhibit by Google Arts and Culture (GAC), "Korea's Demilitarized Zone," unveiled on Wednesday, brings this complicated strip of land into the limelight.

Google Arts and Culture's new interactive online exhibit, 'Korea's Demilitarized Zone,' was unveiled on Wednesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. Courtesy of Google Korea

Simon Rein, senior program manager of Google Arts and Culture / Courtesy of Google Korea

The project was born from the platform's three-year-long collaboration with nine Korean research and cultural institutions ? including the War Memorial of Korea, United Nations Peace Memorial Hall, DMZ Museum and DMZ Botanic Garden ? according to Simon Rein, GAC's senior program manager.

It is the tech giant's first project launched to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement, following its partnership deal signed with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in January.

"The Demilitarized Zone and the Korean War are a very important part of Korea's (modern) history. So when we thought about what projects we could do in Korea with our partners, the topic felt like a natural choice," Rein said in an interview at Google Korea's office in southern Seoul the day before the website's launch.

"Exploring the DMZ is both a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement and a continuation of our...