Seven decades after North and South Korea were divided, there are tens of thousands of Koreans who remain separated from their hometowns and their families.

As the last generation of displaced Koreans reaches its twilight years, so too dwindles the hope that they will ever be able to return home.

To fulfill the dream of one such Korean, 88-year-old grandfather Kim Gu-Hyeon, Hyundai Motor Group incorporated virtual reality and automotive technology to create an unforgettable journey back to his hometown.

seven decades after north and south korea were divided, there are tens of thousands of koreans who remain separated from their hometowns and their families. “going home”: since driving into north korea would be physically impossible, hyundai motor group set out to deliver the next best thing: based on two months of interviews with kim, hyundai motor group commissioned artists to painstakingly recreate his riverfront village, down to the wild flowers blooming in his front yard. armed with these details and utilizing its navigation technology and vworld 3d mapping, hyundai motor group was able to render an incredibly lifelike, virtual north korea, enabling kim to embark on a digital visit to his hometown. for hyundai motor group, the “going home” campaign is part of the company’s vision to use creativity and technology to make what seems impossible, possible—and in doing so, make the world a better place.

The process was not without unique challenges. To start, when Hyundai used the VWorld Spatial Information Open Platform to locate Kim’s hometown, they found that it no longer exists. So, after interviewing Kim for two months, Hyundai commissioned artists to draw every detail of his riverfront village, down to the wild flowers blooming in his front yard.

Armed with these illustrations and utilizing VWorld’s geographic information, Hyundai was able to transform a two-dimensional bird’s-eye-view of North Korea into a 3D human’s-eye view. With this lifelike, 3D world now fully rendered, Hyundai used its own Human Machine Interface Simulation Technology to create a realistic driving experience, enabling Kim to embark on a digital visit to his hometown.