French-Based Grevin Wax Museum Now in Seoul
French-based wax museum, Grévin, is now in Asia. One of Europe's oldest wax museums has a branch opened on July 29, 2015 at an extension in Seoul's City Hall. It's located near Myeong-dong, the capital's hottest shopping district. It presents 80 life-sized wax models of world-renowned figures and celebrities, including 30 Koreans, from the Japanese colonial era in the early 1900s.
The wax figures are on display in different themed rooms.
Leading K-pop stars, such as Psy, G-Dragon and Rain as well as other Korean celebrities are brought to life.
Popular Korean actors, such as Bae Yong-joon, Jang Dong-gun, Kwan Sang-woo and Song Seung-heon, greet visitors to a red carpet scene in one room. A television studio theme, titled "Hallyuwood", features Kim Soo-hyun, Park Shin-hye, Lee Min-ho, Jang Geung-suk and Hyun Bin filming shows and movies. This is the biggest exhibition featuring Hallyu stars from the first to the latest generation.
Interactive wax models of Hollywood stars are also present in the museum, with Brad Pitt and George Clooney standing side by side.
The museum impresses visitors with its state-of-the-art audio and light system, allowing them to fully immerse in the viewing experience as well as take quality photos. At the end of the tour, they can learn to make their own wax figures with a special software program that scans their face and turns it into a three-dimensional image.
According to the CEO of Compagnie des Alpes, Dominique Marcel - who operates the museums, they have decided Seoul to be the first destination of Grevin Museum in Asia because of the city's rich history and strong cultural content. The city expects the museum to draw many foreign tourists and to create job opportunities in the field of wax figure production.
Tickets to the Seoul museum cost 23,000 won for adults, 18,000 won for teenagers and 15,000 won for younger children.
