Science museum in Gwacheon unveils autumn festival pairing retro and future

The National Gwacheon Science Museum will run two months of exhibitions, festivals, performances and programs under the theme "Retro & Future" from October through November, the science ministry said Monday.

The museum's signature October event, the "Retro Future Festival," opens Oct. 3 and runs through Oct. 18. Visitors become mentors to G1, a newly awakened baby robot, guiding its development. The festival mixes playground games from earlier generations — an energy race, a Korean version of red light, green light and ttakji — with AI motion sports, Nintendo Ring Fit contests and AR exhibition-hall missions.

Programs tied to Hangul Day on Oct. 9 include a stargazing session, a mother-of-pearl Hangul keyring workshop and a "Hangul Plop, Science Boom" session. For the Halloween season in late October, the museum will offer a stamp tour, a horror-themed games corner, a natural history hall challenge and guided spider talks in the insect hall.

On the last night of October, the central hall turns into a jazz club for "Jazz and Physics," a concert that pairs physics with jazz. Adults get a separate evening program on Nov. 27, "About Space," examining how music and literature depict space.

The museum marks its opening anniversary on Nov. 14 with the finals of an "AI New Gwageo" competition, and on Nov. 24 the Advanced Technology Hall and the Science Exploration Hall reopen after renovation. The technology hall will feature new hydrogen energy and AI exhibitions, while the exploration hall adds 26 new exhibits, including 20 on electricity and electromagnetic fields produced with Korea Electric Power Corp. and six on everyday science principles such as the air cannon.

Education and lecture programs will continue through both months for children, families and adults, and students who have finished the national college entrance exam can join a post-exam science program and a live supermoon broadcast and observation session.

"This autumn festival is a single story that connects the science we have passed through, the science we experience now and the science we will meet," said Lee Chung-won, director of the National Gwacheon Science Museum. "I hope that this autumn at the museum, families, young people and adults can all discover a new kind of enjoyment that suits them."

Schedules and how to take part in each program are available on the museum's website.