Korea is very well known for its huge entertainment industry. There are many big-name entertainment labels, such as JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and SM Entertainment. Among these labels is HYBE Entertainment. HYBE is a merged company that consists of the labels BigHit Music, BELIFT Lab, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, and Source Music. It is home to musical artists such as BTS, SEVENTEEN, Enhypen, Tomorrow X Together, Dvwn, ZICO, and fromis_9. Recently, HYBE opened up a museum, called HYBE Insight. The museum showcases a different, deeper side of the artists’ music and stage presence, which has never been released to the public before. It also has different exhibits that combine the artists’ music into art pieces. HYBE Insight has rapidly gained popularity and has become a must-see for fans and tourists alike.
A few days ago, I had the chance to visit the museum myself. I am a huge fan of SEVENTEEN, Tomorrow X Together, and Dvwn, so I was very excited. HYBE Insight is located in Yong-san, right next to the HYBE Entertainment building. The transportation system is very well-established in Korea, so the museum is relatively easy to get to. To purchase your tickets, you need to download the HYBE Insight app. The app can be accessed in multiple languages, so all you need to do is follow the instructions on the app.
Once you get to the museum, you can enter up to 30 minutes before your ticket’s designated time zone, which you will select when purchasing your tickets. I recommend you get there early because the museum entrance has a huge screen which showcases moving pictures of all the artists under the label. Many people take pictures there, as well as videos of their favourite artists. There are also cool light displays, which illuminate the artists’ faces very well.
Museum Entrance
Once inside, you will be given a coloured tote bag, which helps the museum staff keep track of the different time groups. You are also allowed to keep the bag. Then you will enter the B2 floor. Due to unreleased content restrictions, you are not allowed to photograph or film anything on the B2 floor. The exhibits on this floor were my personal favourite, as they let you take a closer look at the artists’ music production process. It also had cool reinterpretations of the artists’ songs as moving structures. There was even a section for you to take part in listening to and adjusting the artists’ pre-recorded songs to make your own unique blend.
Next, you will move up to the B1 floor. On this floor, you are allowed to take pictures but still restricted from filming. The exhibits on this floor also change from time to time. When I went, there was an exhibit called Tom Sachs: Boombox Retrospective. There were different boomboxes showcased, and the meaning of the showcase was for you to reinterpret your everyday music life through the different boomboxes.
The second exhibit on the B1 floor was the Wave Room, Here, you can enjoy and explore deeper into the beats of the artists’ music. There are funky light displays and touch screens for you to play a rhythm game. In the rhythm game, you select a song (from the artists under the label), and must tap different keys on the screen in time to the beat. It is a lot more challenging than it sounds and made me awestruck by how these artists can sing AND dance while staying on beat. There is also another display, which just looks like a light-up structure at first. However, when you stand under it, music begins to play, and the structure lights up differently according to the beat.
Next is the infamous Euphoria Room. This room is dedicated to BTS member Jungkook’s solo song, Euphoria. It reinterprets the song into a scent, which you can smell in the room. Euphoria is very popular among Korean fans, and many people take pictures in this room. You can also purchase a room spray in the gift shop, which smells like the Euphoria Room.
Euphoria Room
In the next room, the walls are covered with some of the more soulful lyrics of the artists’ songs. Unfortunately, they are all written in Korean, but perhaps this will encourage some of you to learn Korean. In the centre of the room, there is a big glass cylinder which showcases the actual stage outfits BTS wore during the special performance of Mic Drop. There is also a display where SEVENTEEN’s infamous group rings are displayed. You may not be able to see it right away at first, as it is disguised to look like a sparkly light display. However, when you look inside the individual light circles, you will be able to see each of the members’ actual rings.
Afterwards, a gallery hallway will lead you to the next pop-up exhibit. This exhibit is dedicated to BTS’s Permission To Dance concert in LA. It shows behind-the-scenes photos, as well as clips of their dance practice. There is also a gallery room that plays their actual live concert soundtrack overhead. I imagine it will be quite bittersweet for BTS fans, as this was their last concert before the group went on hiatus.
Lastly, you will enter a walkway that displays all the albums of all the artists. I spent quite a bit of time in here, as I wanted to look at each individual album. This walkway probably has at least $2000 worth of albums. At the end of the walkway is the entrance to the gift shop. As mentioned before, the gift shop sells the Euphoria room spray, as well as exclusive HYBE Insight merchandise, albums, and key chains made from pieces of the stage outfits some artists actually wore. They also sell the infamous Bang & Bakers egg tart, which is a must-try. For those of you who don’t know, Bang & Bakers is HYBE’s very own bakery. It is named after the founder and producer of BigHit Entertainment, Bang Si-Hyuk.
I had a wonderful time visiting HYBE Insight, and highly recommend everyone to check it out. Even if you’re not very familiar with HYBE artists, the exhibits are still very interesting and one of a kind. And for those of you who are fans of HYBE artists, this is definitely the place to check out if you are visiting Korea.