The National Asian Culture Center (ACC, President Kim Sangug), under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that The Forgotten War, planned and produced by the ACC, received the Special Jury Award in the XR Experience Competition at the “2026 South by Southwest (SXSW)” held in the United States on March 18 (local time).
 
Held annually in March in Austin, Texas, SXSW is the world’s largest creative industries festival, integrating film, music, and technology. In particular, the XR Experience Competition section serves as a global platform that showcases innovative works presenting the future of immersive content and is widely regarded as one of the most influential stages for creators worldwide.

This year, the ACC’s The Forgotten War was the only work from Korea and Asia selected among 15 outstanding finalists in the competition section. It ultimately received the Special Jury Award, demonstrating that the ACC’s capabilities in convergence-based creative production have reached a globally competitive level. Notably, only two works were selected for awards in this year’s XR Experience Competition: the Winner and the Special Jury Award.
 
The project is the result of research and development conducted by the ACC’s Interactive Arts Lab and was created in collaboration with media artist Hayoun Kwon. Based on testimonies from veterans of the “Battle of Chipyong-ni,” a turning point in the Korean War, the work adopts a location-based interactive virtual reality (VR) format in which audiences encounter the memories of individuals within a virtual space.

The SXSW jury commented, “Through embodiment and testimony, the project reminds us that war leaves everybody marked and every nation with wounds, delivering powerful and deeply human immersive multiplayer storytelling,” explaining the reason for its selection.
 
This award reaffirms the ACC’s global standing as a platform that directly produces and distributes innovative content. It signifies not only recognition of a single work but also that the ACC’s research and development capabilities and creative production system are aligned with global standards.
 
ACC President Kim stated, “We are pleased that the ACC’s creative convergence research and development efforts have achieved meaningful recognition on the world’s leading stage.” He added, “We will continue to strengthen our production support model so that artists’ creative inspiration can converge with advanced technologies to generate new value and further establish the ACC as a leading global arts and cultural hub.”

References

• 국립아시아문화전당 보도자료 (National Asian Culture Center Press Release)
• 2026 SXSW