I didn’t know Korean science was this interesting. It seems like science has developed more than in Italy?
On the afternoon of the 11th, in a science pop-up store called "Byeolbyeol Jabhwajeom" located in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, an Italian named Dainira (46) said this. Before the store opened, about 20 people were lined up outside, waiting. Dainira, along with a friend Valentino (30), took pictures around the science store and experienced Korean science and technology.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity opened the Byeolbyeol Jabhwajeom on this day to commemorate April as Science Month. The name "Byeolbyeol" means "peculiar science, peculiar experiences." A representative of the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity noted, "Isn't there rarely an opportunity for adults to experience science? We opened the science store to let people know that science is naturally integrated into our daily lives."
◇Instead of shopping in Seongsu-dong, study science… "Learn by experiencing"
The science pop-up store is two stories and about 80 pyeong (264㎡) in size. On the first floor, there is an explanation that the Ministry of Science and ICT designated April as Science Month to commemorate its establishment on April 21, 1967. Visitors enter in groups of 4-5 to comfortably experience science and technology. Jeongmo (35) said, "I came to Seongsu-dong to shop with my family and accidentally discovered the science store; it’s fascinating and fun."
On the wall of the second floor of the store, photographs of 16 scientists, including Einstein and Isaac Newton, are displayed. Next to the photos is a QR code. When I scanned the QR code with my smartphone, it directed me to a site that helps find scientists with similar tendencies to mine. For the question "When I watch science fiction (SF) movies, I..." I can choose from responses such as "I look up scientific content related to the movies" and "I imagine becoming the protagonist of a science movie." After answering 20 questions this way, one of the scientists resembling me turns out to be Einstein.
Next to it is a card explaining Einstein. It states, "Einstein fundamentally changed our understanding of time and space through the theory of relativity. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921." The card also adds that Einstein has a personality type (MBTI) similar to "introverted and logical thinker" (INTP). A middle-aged woman visiting with her son said, "It feels like I am learning about science naturally."
◇Learning science technology by making keychains
In one corner of the science store, about ten people were sitting and making keychains. They draw desired pictures on special paper Shrinkles made of polystyrene (PS). When the pictures are baked in an oven for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, the plastic paper bends and twists before hardening. At this time, the picture size shrinks to 1/7th while the thickness increases by 7 times, turning into a keychain. People were drawing spaceships, the sun, and planets here.
You can also learn about government-funded research institutes through card games. You draw one card from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, the Korea Institute of Standards and Science, the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, or the Korea Atomic Energy Medical Institute. After that, answering questions like "What is the mascot symbolizing the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology?" and "What is the scientific technology of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology?" will earn you a gift. Related information is written on the wall of the store, making it easy to answer correctly. A man in his 50s said, "Since I usually have a keen interest in science, I came to Seongsu-dong to have fun and ended up exploring the store, and I answered many quiz questions correctly to receive a LEGO gift."
There is also an experience of drawing pictures or taking photos with artificial intelligence (AI). There is space to learn about the history of domestic science and technology. It covers the development of cabbage varieties by Dr. Woo Jang-chun in the 1960s, the country’s first car Pony in the 1970s, the development of DRAM memory semiconductors in the 1980s, and the development of the space launch vehicle Naro in the 2000s. The science pop-up store will operate until the 13th. Jeong Woosung, chairman of the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity, said, "We will continue to create points of connection between the public and science and technology."