"Changdeokgung in AR" SK Telecom's AR Service 'Changdeok Arirang' Wins Top Award at Webby Awards

Received the Webby Award, the highest honor in the Culture, Arts, and Events App category

Changdeok ARirang app running screen.

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] SK Telecom announced on the 21st that its augmented reality (AR) app ‘Changdeok ARirang,’ which allows users to tour and experience the UNESCO heritage site Changdeokgung Palace, won the Webby Award, the highest honor in the Culture, Arts & Events app category, at the 21st Webby Awards held on the 19th (local time).

The Webby Awards is a digital awards ceremony hosted annually since 1996 by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) in New York, USA. It selects winners across seven categories including websites, advertising, mobile, and social media, with over 13,000 entries from more than 60 countries competing.

SK Telecom’s Changdeok ARirang, which won this year, is an AR app service created last year in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Administration and Google Korea to enable direct experience and viewing of Changdeokgung Palace through AR. It is available for download on the Google Play Store and One Store.

Changdeok ARirang app running screen.

SK Telecom explained that the app received high praise from judges for lowering the barriers to cultural heritage viewing by providing opportunities for foreigners, children, and anyone to experience Changdeokgung Palace anywhere. In particular, the app’s unique technology, which allows vivid experiences of the cultural assets’ detailed appearances and textures such as Heejeongdang and the rear garden interiors through AR and virtual reality (VR) technology, was highly evaluated.

Ye Hee-gang, head of SK Telecom’s Creative Comm Group, said, “This award recognizes SK Telecom’s AR and VR technology-based campaign embodying ESG values on a global scale. We will continue to carry out campaigns that contribute to society by utilizing 5G technology.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.