"If you engage in this activity with the purpose of boosting sales, sincerity is not conveyed. The science museum is a long-term brand activity connected to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)."
Ji Sung-won, Senior Vice President and Head of HMG Brand Experience at Hyundai Motor Group, said so on the 6th at the media day for the pop-up exhibition "Have Fun with Science" held at Hyundai Motor Studio Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He added, "While activities focused on sales, such as the global launch of the Tucson held in New York last weekend, are pursued in a tactical direction, the science museum is being approached in a strategic direction."
Hyundai Motor Group has opened a pop-up exhibition where domestic visitors can directly experience basic science, ahead of constructing an experiential science museum within its Global Business Complex (GBC) in Samsung-dong, Seoul. This is to pre-verify whether the exhibits from overseas experiential science museums align with Korean culture and conditions, and to reflect visitor reactions in the science museum's content.
The collaboration partner is "Exploratorium," a U.S. experiential science museum founded by experimental physicist Frank Oppenheimer in 1969. Hyundai Motor Group formed a strategic partnership with it last April. This exhibition will showcase 12 exhibits for free until December 15.
The GBC science museum, opening in 2032, is expected to unveil approximately 300 exhibits. Hyundai Motor Group is promoting plans to structure the exhibition halls into an Art Hall combining physics, mechanics, and mechanical engineering with art; an Experiment Hall testing everyday scientific principles such as light and sound; and an Eco Hall exploring biology and social sciences. Previously, Seoul city changed the GBC development plan to build three 49-story towers instead of the originally planned 105-story super high-rise building, and the science museum will be established as a facility meeting public interest requirements.
The exhibits are researched and produced by Exploratorium in San Francisco and brought in. Hyundai Motor Group employees will also participate in local workshops to create them together. The 12 exhibits currently on display will be included among the 300th unless there are major changes. Subsequently, Hyundai Motor Group plans to test whether they suit domestic conditions in Korea, and long-term, it aims to acquire in-house production capabilities. Anne Richardson, Chief Experience Officer of Exploratorium, explained, "We will create new versions of existing exhibits for Korean visitors and also introduce completely new exhibits," noting that this is an "attempt not made in the past."
Hyundai Motor Group also held a pilot exhibition at Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang in 2024. At that time, they focused on the social sciences field to observe children's reactions, whereas this time it was structured as content that adults and children can enjoy together, centered on basic science. There are no overlapping exhibits between the two exhibitions.
SVP Ji emphasized, "Science focuses on 'why do it,' while technology focuses on 'how to implement it,'" adding, "If we take science as a starting point, innovative technologies can emerge through more creative questions." He continued, "There is still quite a bit of time until 2032, but it is short for composing 300 exhibits and even setting up an operation plan," stating, "We will also focus on how to introduce the content in ways suited to our language and culture."
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