The Korea Creative Content Agency on June 9 announced the exhibition "Korea: Cubically Imagined" to be held from July 6-16 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

By Sarah Oqelee and Lee Jihae

The 2019 film "Parasite" by director Bong Joon-ho and a performance by K-pop supergroup BTS will be displayed in virtual reality (VR) next month at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) on June 9 announced that it will host from July 6-16 the exhibition "Korea: Cubically Imagined" at UNESCO headquarters.

With this year being designated "International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development" by the United Nations, the event is intended to share Korea's imagination about a new future to unfold after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

The main highlight is extended reality (XR) content showing the performance "BTS: Map of the Soul On:E" in a three-dimensional LED cube space. Visitors using VR gear can experience the song through a 360-degree realistic video.

"Parasite" was recreated in VR format to allow visitors with the proper gear to experience the settings in the movie. The organizers said that along with music that magnifies immersion, the exhibition gives a realistic feeling of being in the film's main settings of the living room inside the house, basement and half-basement unit.

The KOCCA is hosting the event along with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the department for cultural diversity convention of the UNESCO Secretariat. 

Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, assistant director-general for culture of UNESCO, on June 4 said that through this exhibition, UNESCO will show the importance of culture and creativity's roles for sustainable development in the COVID-19 era.

In the closing speech at the eighth Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions from June 1-4, he said the first VR exhibition of "Parasite" and the BTS concert performance will provide viewers around the world the opportunity to unite and commemorate the year of creative economy.

Online reservations to attend the exhibition start from June 16 at 10 a.m. Central European  Time on www.cubicallyimagined.kr. Each hour-long tour can accommodate up to 30 people, and admission is free. 

The exhibition will be released online from July 16 after the physical event ends.

sarahoqelee@korea.kr