CookieRun Brings History to Life at Deoksugung: From Fire to Unfading Hope
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Deoksugung Palace in Seoul is hosting a special exhibition, “CookieRun: Searching for Lost National Heritage,” running through March 1. The family-friendly show teams the popular game CookieRun with historical displays to introduce the palace’s troubled past and its hopes for a strong nation. Using audio guides voiced by the game’s actors, visitors follow cookie characters through five themed zones, media art, and interactive game areas. The exhibition traces Deoksugung’s history—from its renaming under King Gwanghae, to Emperor Gojong’s 1897 proclamation of the Korean Empire (Daehan Jeguk), and the devastating 1904 fire that destroyed many buildings during a turbulent era including the Japanese colonial period. Highlights include a reconstruction-inspired painting imagining the palace before the blaze, a ten-panel folding screen (byungpung) showing court ceremonies, and the centerpiece “Unfading Light,” a panoramic work blending iconic Seoul landmarks with CookieRun figures to symbolize the empire’s unrealized dreams. Also featured is a media art piece honoring the long-lived Jeongipum Pine (Jeongipum-song), a symbol of resilience. Admission is included with standard Deoksugung entry. (CookieRun: popular mobile game; Deoksugung: historic Seoul palace; Daehan Jeguk: Korean Empire; byungpung: folding screen; Jeongipum-song: a named ancient pine tree.)
