Korean cultural education using traditional folktale “해님달님” with immersive interactive experience

This paper explores the potential of immersive interactive experiences in traditional Korean folk tales, explicitly exploring its impact on 2nd generation Korean immigrants who may have limited exposure to Korean culture. In Korea, folktales (전래동화) is a word that combines “folk (전래)” and “tale (동화).” According to the Standard Korean Language Dictionary, 전래 (folk) is defined as passed down, and 동화 (tale) is defined as a story based on the innocence of childhood that highly helps in developing the imagination and creativity of children and their dreams (the National Institute of Korean Language). Folktales have been passed down through generations as educational material about Korean culture. They are a rich source of information about traditional customs and beliefs and can provide a glimpse into people's daily lives and experiences in the past. Regarding linguistic structure, the folktales use simple and direct language, focusing primarily on imagery and repetition for storytelling effect. They often include Korean proverbs and idioms, which add cultural context. “해님달님” (Sister Sun Brother Moon), one of the most popular Korean folktales, serves as an appropriate text for this study as it is familiar to Korean children from an early age, and the difficulty of the language is appropriate enough to be included in the textbook from the Korean elementary school. To increase children's engagement and participation, the script was adapted with an immersive interactive experience, allowing the audience to experience the tale with their senses beyond just seeing and listening. This approach aims to promote free imagination, in-depth thinking, and a better understanding of Korean culture for children.